


The Honey Bee

by ValentineRunaway



Category: Team Fortress 2
Genre: Alternate Universe - Flower Shop, Dell is a cowboy at the end if you know what I mean, First Kiss, It ends in rough sex, Jane has a hard time accepting he's gay, Kinda OOC characters, M/M, Masturbation, My First Work in This Fandom, NSFW, Slow Burn, Tavish is the best supporting friend you could have, alternative universe, just some cute romance shit with no huge plot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-31
Updated: 2018-05-13
Packaged: 2019-04-14 05:33:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 45,496
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14129187
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ValentineRunaway/pseuds/ValentineRunaway
Summary: Dell Conagher has finally opened his own flower shop, something he has always been passionate about. As he starts building up his dream, unusual visitor steps inside the store and steals Dell's heart. How does their relationship develop, as they slowly become friends and maybe even more?--The Flower Shop AU is created by the amazing angerydj ! You can find their blog here : http://angerydj.tumblr.comAsk blog for the AU : https://askflowershopengieandcoachsolly.tumblr.com/





	1. Amaryllis

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Amaryllis is symbolic of splendid beauty. It is also used to indicate worth beyond beauty.

Since Dell was a kid, he had been deeply intrigued of flowers. It was a simple interest of his - he enjoyed smelling their scent, touching their delicate petals and just watching how they grew and bloomed into a beautiful flower with the colors of the rainbow. He often felt like a flower seed himself, waiting to bloom into something magnificent. Dell was often called out because of his love towards flowers. There was no day in elementary school where no one would call him _'flower boy'_ , _'girly'_ or simply just _'faggot'_. But Dell did not let those put him down.

His love for flowers came from his deceased mother.

When Dell was just a tiny child, he lived far away from the city. Their house was dinky and old, completely made out of wood that creaked loudly under your feet. Their backyard was small, surrounded by a self-build fence that Dell's father had quickly made so their dog would not run off into the woods. The grass was as green as it could be, in the rain glowing in a shade of viridian, and the ground was covered in white daisies during the summer time. Dell's mother loved picking them up and putting the daisies into the kitchen with a tiny glass vase, and sometimes the sweet lady even made a flower crown out of them. Dell secretly loved wearing a flower crown, even if his father wasn't so fond of it. You see, Dell's father was an engineer and he was eager to teach his techniques and abilities to his son, so he could move on the family name with pride. Everyone before Dell had been an engineer. Afraid to disappoint his father, Dell studied and worked hard to be just like his father. He knew everything about engineering and still to this day helped around in order to get some cash. But his heart always yearned towards the flowers his mother so dearly loved.

Every time Dell brought flowers to his mother, the smile across her face and the sparkle in her eyes always made his day better. The simple beauty of these plants was something everybody loved and if Dell just could, he would make as many people as he could a little happier. He believed that flowers had some kind of a healing power in them, that made everyone's day a little better. And happiness was something he adored and wanted to share with others.

And finally, as his both parents had passed away, Dell worked even harder to achieve his lifelong dream.

 

 

The Honey Bee.

A simple, small sized flower shop, located in the corner of the city.

 

 

The building used to be a tiny bank back in the days, until the bank moved to another, bigger place. Then, a coffee shop took over the place, stayed there for many years until another coffee shop opened closer to the life of the city, and they had to shut down. Then it became a simple hairdresser's salon, which did not last long when another competitor entered the city. Now, Dell owned the place and with the money his parents had left him, he had build it into a perfect place for a beginning florist.

The shop was quite small to be a coffee shop, a bank or a salon, but it was just large enough to be a cute flower shop. Every wall had long tables that carried pots and jars of different kinds of flowers that survived inside. One table only covered in equipment meant for gardening - flower and even vegetable seeds, gardening tools, different kinds of colorful pots and simple plastic decorations, that were completely tasteless, but someone always wanted to buy them. In the middle of the store, there was a table build from wooden boxes and inside it there was growing a big peony tree with pale pinkish flowers. A few cactuses were standing on the shelf behind the checkout table, and few pots of flowers were hanging from the roof with simple but strong rope around them. Outside the store, right in front of the store window, there was a small display of different kind of colorful flowers to attract customers closer. The name of the flower shop, "The Honey Bee", was beautifully painted on the store window with big black letters, around them a few cute bees drawn in a childish way.

Behind the store, there was a storage room with a door that let you to the backyard, that had never been used for anything else expect a parking lot. Since the small area was unfrequented enough, as the store had been build almost outside of the city near the forest that surrounded them, it was good enough place to have bees. Exactly, bees. Dell loved bees, and when he had read from the newspaper they were endangered for the first time in history, he wanted to make sure they would not perish from this world. In the progress, he would be able to make honey and sell it, and also make sure the bees would survive as long as possible. The backdoor lead the shop owner to the backyard, that was surrounded by a simple white fence, and on top of the old tarmac that was in such bad condition that a few spots of grass were growing through it, there were beehives. Dell had build his own beehives from boxes and frames and a little help of a hive kit. Conagher had simply bought some bees from the local bee supplier, that wasn't so local since he lived a few miles away in his own farm, where the conditions were quite the same as in the small town. The local bee man visited every now and then and helped Dell get started with his new buzzy friends. With three simple beehives, Dell was also prepared with protective gear that prevented him from getting stung too often or too severely. He had a veil, that protected your head and face from the bee stings, and a pair of gloves he often used for engineering duties. He always wore the other yellow glove on his right hand to cover up his prosthetic arm, so no one would get too frightened by it. He also had a bee suit, but he barely used it, as wearing full-length clothes was often just enough. Hell, he barely used any of the protective clothing he should be wearing. Not like a little bee sting would hurt him.

 

It was a simple store with not much potential, but it was something Dell had always dreamed about. And with hard work, it was finally just perfect. So perfect, that Dell wanted to even cry. That's how proud he was of his accomplishment. 

 

 

Only having the store open for a week, people were rushing in to see the new shop that had entered the town. Not every guest bought anything, but people were still intrigued to see the new business and that was just enough for Dell. Maybe soon the word would go around and people would come in more often. On the first few days youngsters came in, took photos of the flowers and then left with bright smiles on their faces, saying out loudly how they wished their crush would give them flowers someday. Most of the customers were fully grown adults looking for the perfect flower to give for the love of their life. Some customers were looking for flowers to give to their sick friends, and two times there had been someone ordering flowers for a funeral. But the most common customers were elders, who just liked seeing such beautiful vivid plants every now and then. A couple of times old ladies had stopped by and ended up having a long conversation with Dell, which he did not mind at all. It had been quiet, since he had lived in the city only for a few months, so he was more than glad to have a talk with someone.

For now, Dell had not sold as much as he had hoped for, but he knew that he was still starting and it had only been a little over a week. And when he could start selling honey, he was sure the sales would go higher. He was still doing quite good so far, with promising future ahead of him. 

 

 

One day, it was quiet. It was lunch time, the sun was high up and Dell was sitting behind the checkout table, eating cup noodles that had too much pepper in it, since Dell had accidentally poured a little too much. Luckily he had a cold water bottle standing on the table next to the cash register. Under the table, Dell had a mini fridge filled with cheap goodies and inside the storage room, he had a microwave that worked slowly, just so he could heat up his food. Dell ate his noodles in peace, wondering if he should try to sell drinks too. It was summer time, the schools were almost over, so having something cold to sell didn't sound like a bad idea. He could sell ice cream with cheap prizes ... But then people would come in to only get some ice cream. And it would cost more money for him to start selling sweets and drinks. He ditched the idea immediately.

Almost bored, Dell stared at the store door that had a sign hanging on the handle saying 'OPEN' in bright red letters. The man lifted his hexagon shaped glasses higher on his nose, gave a little scratch on the top of his nose before laying his hand back down again. Even if the air conditioning worked well, it was still hot and Dell's short milk chocolate-colored hair was slightly sticky against his head. His bright yellow shirt with black dots in it felt a little tight. So did his pants and shoes. Dell took a small piece of pink colored clothing from his pocket, wiped some sweat away from his forehead before putting the piece of fabric back into his back pocket, letting it hang out playfully like a tail. He laid his cup noodles down for a moment, took a quick sip from his water bottle. He swallowed down his drink, laid down the bottle and took his yellow glove out of his right hand and just inspected his prosthetic arm, just to pass the time.

He lost his arm in a stupid accident. As he was experimenting with a new machine that should have been revolutionary, it had ended up being a huge mistake as it had cut off his right hand like a knife. With his engineering skills, Dell Conagher build himself a new hand like it was nothing. It was metallic with some wires, buttons and a light there and there, not a very pretty sight. It was meant to be a prosthetic that was easy to use when working on machines. Unlike usual prosthetic parts other disabled people had, with this hand you could work and do things like you never even lost a limb. Dell could easily lift up heavy objects without feeling any weird ache in his right hand, and his prosthetic hand worked also well as a tool and a weapon, making the Texas man a real gunslinger - at least in his wildest dreams.

Dell moved his hand around, just looking at his prosthetic arm for a moment, once again feeling a little melancholic of the loss of his right hand. He put the glove back on, knowing that not many people would like the sight of a man who was part android. He had been called 'a machine man' before, and Dell wasn't sure if he liked that nickname. He wasn't sure if he liked nicknames at all. As he put his glove on, Dell lifted his shirt's sleeve a little higher to see a small hint of a sleeve tattoo, that started around his elbow and reached over his shoulder and near his collar bones. It was decorative tattoo of flowers and leaves, all connected to a green stalk that moved around his hand like a snake. The leaves were colored a dark green and small sunflowers were growing out of the stalk. Quite a obvious sign that he liked flowers. Dell peeked into his shirt to take a better look at the tattoo. It was always hidden, because Dell never wore shirts that did not cover his shoulders or his chest area, so he wondered for a while if taking the tattoo was even worth it. But luckily, he got the tattoo for a very cheap prize. 

 

Dell had a roommate, that followed the simple name 'Pyro'. Dell had figured out the person's nickname came from their interest in fire and arson. When Dell and Pyro had just started being roommates, he had come home to see the kitchen on fire, and Pyro wasn't even cooking anything. But even with his destructive side, Pyro was very gentle when he made tattoos. He wasn't even licensed to do so, yet Dell decided to trust him enough to let his roommate pierce his skin without doubt. And he had to admit, he loved how the tattoo ended up looking.

Pyro was quite mysterious in any possible way, and Dell had no idea how the two of them had ended up living together. For example, Pyro had no real name, or at least it appeared to be. His name was completely hidden. So was his face. Pyro always wore this dark orange hoodie with printed pictures of fire in his sleeves, and his face was hidden under the shadow of the large hood that kept his whole head covered. Pyro barely made any eye contact either and if he had to go outside, he wore a scarf over his mouth and a pair of dark sunglasses on top of his nose. Dell was pretty sure Pyro's face was covered in burn marks, like he was the Freddy Krueger himself. Dell kind of wished to get to know the man better, but Pyro never really talked, which only made him even more mysterious. He only nodded as an answer, sometimes even giving a soft hum if you were lucky. Pyro mostly stayed in his room so he never was a bother or an annoyance, but his breathing was sometimes quite irritating if the former engineer dared to even admit. Pyro's heavy breathing and his hoarse throat was due to his intense use of spray paint, that was his unlawful hobby. He also painted other things that weren't so illegal, like cars or building's walls with small pay. 

Dell only agreed to be Pyro's roommate because of one reason - he didn't mind the flowers. A few possible roommate alternatives laughed when a man wanted to decorate the place with flowers, but Pyro did not seem to care about it at all. It appeared that he liked cute things, anyway. Even if on the outside Pyro looked like a piece of mischief, he had his childish side. Pyro was very fond of unicorns, and other cute colorful things. One time when Pyro had passed Dell, he saw a unicorn plush toy peeking out of his backpack. Pyro also wasn't messy - expect in his own room -, and he was mostly quiet and harmless, and as long as he did his little experiments with fire outside, Dell was more than fine having him as a roommate.

To get his tattoo done, he had agreed to pay for the next month's rent by himself, even if he would have to live like a college student for a few weeks. It all depended how well his shop would go. But Dell was determined to work hard.

 

Dell straightened his back and corrected his shirt, hiding the tattoo under the bright colored fabric. He continued eating whatever was left of his noodles, just waiting for somebody to step inside ...

Until someone finally did.

 

 

 

A man rushed in, his cheeks slightly red like he had been running his whole way over to the tiny flower shop. He stepped inside, stopped and just looked around as the door banged behind him and closed. Dell quickly finished his noodles and drew the empty cup to the nearest trash can and welcomed the customer with a wide smile.

The man only gave a quick nod as an answer, then scratched his neck. Dell inspected him for a moment. This customer was taller than him, probably a few years older than he was. He was wearing a simple red cap on top of his head that matched well with his same colored jacket. He was wearing a pair of very dark brown combat boots, matched together with pants that were tucked inside his shoes. The man was wearing a tight white tank top that showed clearly that he was well build. The man almost looked like a soldier, with his strong jawline, big muscles almost ripping his clothes apart and the few faint scars covering his face. Dell wondered where the man had got those scars. In battle, perhaps? But where, and when?

"May I help you, sir?" Dell asked, as the customer just stood there silently and looked around like he was in a rush.

"Um, yes", the man muttered. "You see, my roommate - well, old roommate - was carrying moving boxes down the stairs, when he accidentally tripped and fell down."

"Oh, that is unfortunate", Dell gasped silently, leaning over the register table, tapping his fingers silently against the wooden surface.

The customer took a deep breath. "Well, now he is in the hospital and I guess I should bring him some flowers or something. We haven't been such good friends lately, so I guess this could make up for it", the man explained and looked around some more. It seemed like he had not even looked at Dell, like he had difficulties when it came to looking at people. His head kept turning around as the customer inspected his surroundings carefully, maybe eve admiring all the flowers.

"Well, I can recommend some good 'get-well-soon' flower bouquets for you", Dell started and stood up. He walked around the register table and moved closer to the customer with a bright smile, only to see him walk away. Dell followed the man, finding him staring at a pile of red roses.

 

 

 

"I'll take those", he said with no emotion in his voice, like it was an order.

"Those are a good choice, if you were romantically involved with your roommate", Dell tried to explain. The customer finally looked towards Dell's direction, and their eyes met. In a second, the man seemed flustered. He bit his lower lip and Dell could swear his cheeks were slightly redder than before.

"I wasn't - romantically involved with him, or anybody else", he said. "Why won't roses do? They are very pretty."

 

The man picked out one rose carefully, soon saying 'ouch' and waving his hand around. He took a better hold of the rose, this time being extra careful to not press his fingers on its thorns. Dell watched silently as the man moved his thumb over to his mouth and sucked on it for a moment, before he simply wiped the damaged finger on his shirt.

"My mother told me that roses are always blushing, because the bees kiss them, because they are the sweetest kind of flower!" he narrated and smiled brightly, excited sparkle in his eyes. Dell chuckled. It felt like he was talking to a child.

"That is a very sweet story", Dell commented and gave a cheerful tap on the man's broad shoulder. He could not help but secretly feel how his muscles felt under his own touch. Dell swallowed heavily and collected his thoughts.

 

 

"But you see, a red rose symbolizes _love._ You don't want to give a wrong message to your friend, do ya?" the florist explained and looked deeply into his customer's eyes. They were colored bright blue, like the summer sky. Dell wanted to look deeper into them, but he was sure that would make the customer uncomfortable. The man looked back at the shorter man, then looked up in the air and made a long 'hmm' sound, as he thought hard and long.

"I guess you are right", he finally said simply. 

"I have a few other options for you", Dell said and guided the customer over to the middle of the shop, where a large pile of peonies were growing. Dell took one delicate peony into his hand and introduced the flower with multiple pink petals to the customer, who watched his every movement with curious eyes.

"This is a peony. It symbolizes compassion and bashfulness, and also wishes for prosperity, long marriage, good health - simply put, it wishes for a happy life", Dell explained with joy in his heart. It was his first time when he got to explain the meaning of a flower to somebody. And this somebody was actually listening with clear interest.

"Oh! I will take that one. I already memorized whatever you just said", the customer said. Dell could not help but laugh.

"Great, then you can tell that same thing to your roommate", the former engineer said.

"Old roommate", the man corrected him.

"Right. Old roommate", Dell repeated. "How many flowers would you like?"

"Uhh, five", he answered and started looking for his wallet, slapping his hands all over his body, where ever he had pockets. In the mean time, Dell took out five peonies and moved them to the register table. He took out a few sheets of green tissue paper and wrapped them around the flowers, tying them together with a white ribbon. He chose the color green, because it has great healing power. Probably something a person needed when he falls down the stairs. Soon, the customer followed to the checkout with his wallet out. He paid for his flowers and let Dell keep the change.

 

 

 

"Oh, I almost forgot. Can you add a little card here, too? Just in case he is in a coma or something", the customer chuckled and offered the bouquet of flowers back to Dell. Dell could not help but just laugh again. This man was just saying things that sounded like jokes for him, and he could only hope he wasn't being rude whenever he laughed. No one can end up in a coma when they fall down the stairs, can they? It had to be a joke.

Dell grabbed a piece of white carton out and cut out a small piece of it. He then took out a small black marker and looked up at his customer.

"What do you want me to write here?" he asked. The customer rubbed his chin for a moment, looking down at his feet. Dell let him think in peace since there was no other customers, and after a few long seconds, the man lifted his head up again. His face seemed much brighter now and Dell just had to smile back at him.

"Alright, write exactly what I say", the man ordered and Dell chuckled, shaking his head. "Alright", he muttered and opened the marker, ready to start writing.

 

"Dear Merasmus", the man started. _What a weird name_ , Dell thought, but decided to not say it out loud. "I hope you get better. Sorry for being annoying."

Dell laughed out loud and wrote down the words with amused smile across his face. God, he loved everything this man was saying. 

"And what is your name?" Dell asked.

"Why do you need it?" the customer asked, a little confused.

"So your friend, Merasmus, knows who send these pretty flowers", Dell explained with a sigh, that was not an irritated or a tired sigh. Dell was just amused by the whole situation. "Just in case he is in a coma", Dell added with a smile, using the customer's own joke.

"Oh, right. It's Jane. Jane Doe", the man said, not even slightly showing any kind of embarrassment over his previous mistake. _Pretty name_ , Dell thought to himself once again. _A girl's name_ , he added, before writing down the man's name on the piece of carton. He pierced a hole at the edge of the card and wrapped the ribbon through it, before tying it tightly so the card would not fall out. Finally done, Dell offered the bouquet to the customer, who took them with pleasure.

 

 

"And, uh", the man called Jane Doe said quietly. He stared at the florist, before suddenly looking down onto his feet and biting his lower lip. Dell tilted his head to the side, waiting patiently for the man to say what he had to say. It appeared that Jane was a little ... slow sometimes. Not like Dell judged him for it. He didn't even know this Jane Doe, and for what he had seen, Jane Doe seemed like a great guy. Finally, the man inhaled and lifted his head up, looking directly into Dell's eyes.

"And what's your name?" he asked. Jane Doe said it in a strict, brawny tone like a soldier, but there was a hint of red painted over his cheeks, that took his tough act away a little bit. Dell smiled wildly, as he wanted to say the same thing the customer had said to him when he had asked that question. ' _Why do you need my name_ ', he wanted to ask, already smirking like the devil. But Jane looked a bit flustered, even if he tried to keep it hidden, so Dell decided to not tease him.

"Dell Conagher", the shop owner said and gave a brave wink to the man. For a moment, Dell thought he had went a bit too far and made Jane uncomfortable. Doe's face turned completely red and his eyes widened, but he quickly pulled his hat down to cover his shyness.

"Thank you", he said quickly. "For the flowers, I mean!" he soon corrected and lifted the bouquet higher into the air. "Of course", Dell answered to him, trying to hold back laughter. Jane Doe looked at Dell for a moment, then he looked at his feet, before saying a quick 'bye' and heading out of the store as quickly as he came. Dell let out a soft laughter and he sat back down onto his chair, shaking his head.

 

_Jane Doe. What an interesting fella._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is my first time writing anything TF2 related, and even if I have been a fan since 2015, I apologize if the characters are not completely 'in character'. Just having fun here! I also took some small time to research about being a florist and such, but if there are some mistakes I have made, then I apologize! Hope you enjoyed!
> 
> Pst. Comments make me really happy and make me update more often. Pst.


	2. Statice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Statice is symbolic of remembrance. It also symbolizes sympathy and success.

Jane Doe dropped by the hospital and laid the bouquet of flowers onto the table next to his friend's bed, and he sat next to the bed for hours until his former roommate, Merasmus, woke up. And when he finally did wake up, he had started yelling and cursing, saying that he did not want to see Jane again. Merasmus was never nice towards Jane, but that never really bothered the man. Jane just did whatever the hell he wanted without much caring what others thought about it.

Merasmus was quite a unique character. He was a old man who always wore a grey tacky dress that made him look like a wizard, which he claimed to be. To Jane, he was just an idiot in a dress. Quite often Merasmus was wearing some kind of an animal skull on his head and he had a rope hanging around his waist, carrying some potions and whatever he needed to perform a quick ritual in a back alley. He did get paid to do some healing rituals or predicting the future, but very often his customers were not satisfied with his services. His 'healing magic' didn't work, and he always predicted things that were impossible to happen. He always told that his customers would win the lottery, which never happened.

Merasmus did fit the wizard role quite well; he had a wrinkly face and large ears pointing out, matching together with large grey colored side burns. His skin was pale, he was tall and skinny and in many people's eyes, Merasmus looked like a bloody monkey. But he was known as the local nutcase, who also worked in retail. It was quite a sight - Merasmus still had that skull balanced on his head as he sat behind the cash register, telling 'good morning' to frightened customers. Even great wizards, or a really bad wizard, needed money.

Jane lived together with this old man for a few years, and to Merasmus it had been living hell. Jane acted and lived like a college student - he barely cleaned his own mess, he was loud and sometimes, Jane even had raccoons running around. Jane loved feeding local raccoons and sometimes took them even home. Hasty city life may not seem like an optimal place for raccoons to live in, but here they were anyway, traveling out of the woods through storm drains and sewers to tip your dumpsters over and eat your trash. Sometimes Jane joined them, stepping inside a dumpster that was big enough for him and just hang out with the little spy-looking cats. At some point, Jane had started to feed the raccoons almost every day. It first started when a raccoon hissed at Jane, but calmed down when he had thrown nuts at him. Raccoons were surprisingly friendly when you fed them, just like Jane. He started giving them nuts, but apparently they would make the raccoons fat so he started feeding actual food to them. Raccoons are omnivores, so they almost eat everything so it wasn't too hard of a task for the man, who was a little slow sometimes. So now as a little hobby Jane fed dog food, poultry, eggs and whatever raccoons would take. 

Merasmus had grown to hate raccoons. Because Jane fed them, they saw the former soldier as some sort of a god and sometimes even followed him all the way home. Merasmus didn't like the mess those animals made, and who knows what kind of infections they carried.

He could only hope Jane didn't have any raccoons with him now.

 

"What are you doing here?" the old man muttered, as Jane insisted on staying instead of leaving, no matter how much Merasmus yelled at him to go away. He had even smacked Jane onto his cheek, but Jane had slapped him back like it was a game. Giving up, Merasmus laid back down onto his hospital bed and rubbed his eyes with a tired sigh. His right leg was completely covered in white plaster, only his tall toes sticking out and his left arm was also tied down, making it almost impossible to move anywhere without a wheelchair. He had some support around his neck, but luckily he had not twisted his neck. Merasmus secretly wished he had broken his neck, because then he wouldn't have to deal with his thankfully old roommate. The world of the dead was much more welcoming, anyway.

"I got you flowers!" Jane said with a happy smile and pointed towards them. "I wanted to give you roses, but apparently they are meant to be given to a lover or something, and nobody would want to be your lover, so I got you something better!"

Merasmus glared at the man. God he hated Jane.

Jane reached for the small bouquet of flowers and offered them to Merasmus. The old man first just looked at them, raising his bushy eyebrows at the other man. Jane smiled wildly, like a child. Merasmus gave out an annoyed sigh and grabbed the flowers, pressing them against his chest.

"What flowers are these?" he asked with a tired voice and pressed his large nose against the pink petals, smelling their sweet scent like it was a drug. They smelled nice.

"Pennies! No, poodles.  No, wait ... P, E, N, I, S ... NO! It's ... Peonies!" Jane yelled out, not caring how he had trouble spelling the name correctly. Meramus hid his face behind his palm in embarrassment.

"They ... symbolize compassion and wish for long marriage - which you will never have -, good health - which you also will never have -, and ... for a happy life! I wish you a very happy life!" Jane continued with a excited voice and he smiled proudly. He indeed had memorized whatever the flower shop owned had told him, almost perfectly. Jane praised himself for having a very good memory.

Merasmus looked at the other with exhausted eyes and raised his brows at him again. He only gave a hum as an answer and laid the flowers back on the table where they first were. He then crossed his fingers together and gave a fake smile to Jane Doe, trying to be as polite as he could. 

"Don't you have somewhere else to be?" he said and gave the biggest smile he could. Jane rubbed his chin for a while, then shook his head. "No!" he said. "I can be here with you!" 

"That's just great", Merasmus sighed out and rubbed his eyes, biting hardly into his tongue so he would not start yelling again. The last time he got angry, the doctors injected something into him and he wasn't very happy about it.

 

"I got these flowers from the new flower shop! It's called ... The Honey Bee. A really cute guy works there -", Jane started, before his mouth suddenly closed and he looked down at the floor. Merasmus wasn't first even listening, but the last few words caught his attention.

"A cute guy, huh?" he repeated Jane's words with a mischievous smirk. "Didn't know you were gay."

"I'm not gay!" Jane immediately screamed out, banging his fists against his thighs. "I am as s-straight as a man could be!" he insisted.

"Sure thing", Merasmus laughed out. For the first time in years, Jane was the one who wanted to leave first. He stood up, said a simple _'I will see you later, maggot'_ with an embarrassed voice before he ran out of the room, leaving Merasmus chuckling about what he had just heard.

 

\--

 

The next day it was much hotter than yesterday. Only a few clouds were covering up the horizon as the sun was shining brightly, almost making everyone without sunglasses blind. Days like these when there was no wind to cool you down were perfect to sell cold products - ice cream trucks were running around the city more often now, the soft but a little irritating melody singing somewhere a few blocks away. Someone was even trying to sell water they probably had taken from their toilet seat, and a bunch of kids were selling lemonade in front of their front yard. 

For Jane, it was a normal day. Heat didn't get him so easily. No one could defeat him.

It was somewhere around midday, when Jane was standing at the edge of the football field, watching how a group of young boys were running around the field without their shirts on. Every time they passed him, Jane yelled after them, telling them to go faster like a lion was after them. Jane had his red jacket tied around his waist and on his neck he had a bright orange whistle hanging from a thin rope. He was wearing his old trusty cap on top of his head, keeping his head cool under the shadow. He secretly loved watching his student turn completely exhausted from all the exercise. A few of them, the ones who were skinny and had no muscles and the ones who had a little extra weight on them, were always coming in last and Jane always had to yell a little louder for them. He had a few punk students who rebelled against him and just sat down onto the green grass without even doing their best. Those kind of students didn't stay long in the team.

Jane headed towards his own black sports bag and opened it, taking out his water bottle and drinking from it. He threw the bottle back in and took out a maroon colored football with pointed ends and rolled it around in his fingers before just holding it under his arm. 

"Hey, Jane", someone was calling out to him and the football coach turned around, only to see his old friend, Tavish Finnegan DeGroot, standing in front of a row of long wooden benches that were made for the audience. The man leaned against the railing and looked down at Jane, every now and then looking at his students who ran past with red faces and sweaty bodies. "Hey, you cyclops", Jane answered.

 

Tavish was a Scottish black man with a black eye-patch covering his left eye. Just from that description, you knew he was no ordinary guy. Tavish owned his own bar, that was the only bar in the small city, so it was often quite crowded. Bar fights happened often, no matter how much Tavish tried to stop them, but quite often he was the one starting them. Some customers just weren't nice, and some were just racists, and Tavish gave no mercy to those kind of people. And whenever Jane was inside the bar, he was also kicking everyone's ass with Tavish. It was a miracle how they still were allowed to keep the place up and running.

But Tavish wasn't just a drunk man, whose accent was so thick no one could understand it. He had a very soft side, too. For example, he knew how to play the piano. His bar actually had a small stage where you could do karaoke, and there was a old black piano set next to it. And whenever he felt like it, Tavish started playing and everyone in the bar sang with him. Tavish Finnegan also had a family. He had a beautiful wife and two daughters, who loved ballet. And Tavish loved knitting, but that was something only Jane knew.

"How's yer day going, lad?" the dark skinned man asked, leaning heavily against the railing. His right hand's fingers kept playing with each other, like they were missing something. A bottle of beer, perhaps. The man ended up playing with the ring on his left hand, smiling at it. It was a cheap ring that was now stuck in his finger since Tavish had gained a little weight, but it still looked so beautiful to him.

"Good, good", Jane said, playing with the football in his hand. "Just the usual."

"I heard about yer weird roommate. Sorry about dat", Tavish tried to comfort his lifelong best friend. "At least ye got rid of 'im, aye?" he continued and gave out a loud snort before licking his lips. Jane laughed with him.

"I got Merasmus flowers yesterday", Jane told the other. Tavish raised a brow at him.

"Oh? From where?" 

Jane thought for a moment, trying to remember the name of the flower shop. It finally flashed back into his memory, after an awkward moment of silence.

"The Honey Bee!" Jane shouted out happily. "The one who owns the place was super helpful, giving me the right kind of flowers and all that stuff", Doe explained and picked up his water bottle again. He took a sip from it, then offered it to Tavish. He took it happily and drank almost half of whatever was left, before closing the bottle and lending it back to Jane.

 

"The Honey Bee, huh? My friend works there", Tavish told the other. Jane turned around as fast as he could, holding tightly onto the water bottle with both of his hands as he looked up at his friend.

"Dell Conagher?" Jane Doe said the florist's name. It was something he had memorized all day yesterday. Jane was horrible at remembering names, but Dell's name was just something that clued itself into his brain. Usually, it took Jane a few weeks to remember someone's full name. For example, Jane still didn't know how to write Tavish's name. He still had a hard time writing his last name, so usually he wrote something that sounded similar enough, like "Fishman" and "DePoop". Jane always laughed at his own jokes.

Tavish gave a strong nod. "Dell Conagher", he repeated, confirming they were talking about the same man. Jane pressed the water bottle against his neck to cool down a little, before throwing it back inside his bag. He took his trusty football back into his hands and held it tightly with both of his hands.

"How do you know him?" Jane asked, moving a little closer to the railing, burying his fingers tightly onto the football.

"From school. We weren't dat good friends, since he is kind of a nerd, just sayin'. But we chat every now and then", Tavish Finnegan told the man and moved his eyes towards the field. All of the boys were moving much slower now, all of them completely exhausted. But Jane didn't seem to notice. Jane Doe looked down at his feet, tapping his fingers against the football, hiding his slightly flushed cheeks under his hat.

"C-could you introduce us?" he asked silently.

"Huh?"

 

Their conversation was interrupted suddenly, when one of Jane's students ran to them, huffing and puffing loudly, whining how tired they all were and how it was 'basically torture' to make them run so much. Jane recognized this student immediately. It was Jeremy, a skinny boy who ran fast but talked a lot. And by 'a lot', he meant that Jeremy never closed his mouth. Jeremy was always talking about how fast he was, how strong he was and how he had the most amazing girlfriend. Expect he didn't have a girlfriend, only a crush to a girl he referred to as "Pauling". Jeremy was only 23 years old, who was a delivery boy of all kinds of fast food restaurants, and he was playing football with kids a few years younger than him, who still were twice his side. If Jane was honest, he wanted to get rid of Jeremy, because he wasn't that good of a team player. If he ever got the ball into his hands, he stopped and started praising himself, like he was the Queen of England. Jane kept him on the team only because he was the fastest. But sadly Jeremy got beat up a lot in the game, because if someone was able to corner him, then he had no muscles to protect himself. 

"Hey, coach, I think it's very unfair we are just running here and you're talking some nonsense with your boyfriend over here", Jeremy babbled, wiping sweat off his forehead.

"Ae am not his boyfriend, you little shite", Tavish yelled at the young man. Jeremy just rolled his eyes and muttered _'yeah sure sure'_ under his breath like a teenage brat.

"Well, it would be nice if ya were running too, because since you are the coach, you should also know this stuff, so it makes no sense that you just stand there doing nothing while we are about to faint from the heat", the young man kept talking. Both Jane and Tavish were already tired of it. 

"Jeremy", Jane started, rubbing his forehead. "Keep running. Or if you feel like a quitter, then quit and go home."

The young man raised his eyebrows at him and was about to open his mouth again, but when Jane Doe took one step closer to him, his hands in tight fists, he cowered away and started running once again. Jeremy did look back and showed out his tongue like a baby. Jane stick out his tongue too.

 

Jane turned back to his best friend, apologizing in behalf of his student. Tavish brushed it off, claiming he was used to having kids acting hard. His own kids sometimes started crying and yelling when they didn't get what they wanted, so Tavish was more than used to it.

"So, where were we ... Oh, righto. Ya wanted me to introduce ya to Dell?" Tavish asked. Jane gave an awkward nod and tapped his fingers against the football, rolling it around in his hands a few times.

The Scottish man smirked wildly and hit his friend playfully on the shoulder. "Aaw, ya could have jus' said if yeh had a crush on him!"

"No! I don't have a crush! Never in a million years!" Jane immediately shouted and crossed his arms, dropping the ball down onto the ground. He turned his gaze towards the football field, refusing to look at his friend in the eyes - er, eye. Finnegan sighed loudly.

"Jane, ye need to get back into the dating game! Only thing yeh do is train, train and train."

"False. I also feed raccoons and coach stupid football teams full of weaklings", Jane pouted. "And right now I am definitely not having a crush on someone!"

"But Jane-", Tavish started, but Jane immediately stopped him. "I know what you're about to say, maggot, and the answer is no! I am not going to date anyone! I am not gay!"

"... Then why do ya wanna meet Dell?"

 

Jane opened his mouth, then closed it again. He shyly turned to look somewhere else, ignoring his friend's question. He didn't know the answer himself. He was in deep denial, but something had lit up inside him when he had met Dell, that sweet kind man who laughed at his jokes. Tavish sighed.

"Dell is a great guy. Ya will like him, I'm sure, lad. Jus' give him a change, aye?" Tavish suggested. He waited patiently for Jane to answer, but Jane never turned to look back at him. Jane just looked at the horizon, past the football field and stared at the trees and the bright blue sky. He bit his lip.

"... Dell hasn't dated anyone in a long time, either", Tavish said quietly, still gazing at his friend, waiting to have some kind of a reaction from him. It was quite clear Jane was still in denial for being attracted to males. Tavish was the only one who knew about it, and for some reason, Jane was afraid of how people reacted. It was probably the only thing he was afraid of. He had tried dating women, but they never worked out, making it even more obvious that Jane was gay. It had been years since the last time Jane dated anyone, and at one point he had completely refused to see anyone romantically. He had given up on love. And Tavish hated seeing his friend alone and heartbroken like this.

Jane finally turned his face towards his friend, biting his bottom lip as he considered the offer.

"... Is Dell ... like me?" he asked slowly, swallowing heavily.

Tavish thought for a moment, making a loud 'hmm' sound.

"Well, he owns a bloody flower shop, so ae would say yes", Tavish said and gave a wide smirk to his friend. Jane could not help but laugh, and Tavish felt proud for being able to make his friend smile again. "So, wadda ya say? Ya wanna go on a date with him?"

Jane swallowed heavily and scratched the back of his neck. "... Yes", he silently muttered, showing a hint of a smile to his friend, before Jane took his whistler into his hand and blew onto it hard. Today's practice was over.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Only 8 hits (when I started writing this) but already 3 comments. Thank you for listening to my sad begging lol. But for real, I always cheer up so much when I see a comment, so a big thank you to those who left one!  
> Also, this has to be one of my hardest fanfictions I've written, because I constantly have to use reference how, for example, flower shops work and how you play american football. I also can't write Scottish accent. I hope I will survive ...
> 
> The chapters are quite short, at least now in the beginning, since this is my first fanfiction that I write without planning a huge plot with it. So, I'm just having fun here and practicing my writing skills at the same time. I hope you all understand ! And feel free to send ideas or suggestions, if you have any !


	3. Ranunculus

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ranunculus symbolizes radiant charm. It conveys a message that you are radiant with charm or you are attractive.

When Dell was closing his shop after a rough, hot day, he felt something vibrating in his pocket. He buried his hand inside the pocket of his brown pants and took out his cheap phone that still worked well enough for his needs. His old friend, Tavish, was calling him. Dell smiled. The two of them didn't talk that often, since they didn't have much in common - expect their taste in beer-, but they still stayed as friends, every now and then checking on each other to see how they were doing. Dell answered the phone call and placed it near his ear, greeting the man with a bright voice.

"Yo, Dell", Tavish said. Dell wondered why he always greeted everybody like he was a youngster. "Ae was wondering if ye were free tomorrow. Could meet up and get some coffee, or somethin' like dat", Tavish suggested. His voice tried to stay calm, but Dell could hear some spark of excitement from it. 

"Coffee? Tavish, that is so unlike you", Conagher joked and chuckled. He heard his friend also laugh, but then it turned quiet. Dell suddenly was a little worried.

"Is everything okay?" he asked.

"Okay? Of course everythin' is okay! Just wanna meet yer sweet ass, that's all!" Tavish almost yelled to his phone, then forced a loud laughter out of him. Dell lout a little awkward laughter, then went to check if he was free tomorrow. Of course he was free. He never had plans. Besides, Dell didn't usually meet up with his friends, even if he wish he did so he knew he should go. He liked his own company, but it was nice to go outside every now and then. Going out would be good for him.

"Alright, alright. Let's see ... Yep, I am free tomorrow. I can close the store for a few hours during lunch time", Dell spoke to the phone, already starting to prepare for tomorrow, checking if he had enough cash in his wallet and everything.

"Great! Ye could meet my -", Tavish started, but then someone shut him up and whispered something into his ear. Dell waited patiently, only hearing a hint of somebody else talking to Tavish. Soon Tavish returned to the phone, and started by couching a little.

"Alright mate, ae was wondering if ye could bring along some of yer friends? I'll bring one of my good friends. A friend date", Tavish suggested, then gasped loudly. "Bring your weird roommate."

"You want me to bring Pyro? He's not much of a talker", Dell explained, scratching the back of his neck.

"Oh, I can make him talk", Tavish laughed, and Dell had no idea if he should be scared. "So, tomorrow, at 12:00, meet me at the 'Meet your Match' cafe." 

Dell stayed silent for a moment, trying to remember where that cafe was, and what it was like. The name was so familiar, that it took him only a moment to remember the place. It was a cheap place far away from his flower shop, and it was decorated with sweet candles, red colors and romantic music. He had never been there before, and for a good reason.

"Tavish."

"Yeh?"

"That cafe is kind of meant for couples and stuff. It's name literally hints that it's a place to go if you want a date. Don't know if it's a good place for us to go..."

 

The person on the other line sounded like they were choking, and Dell Conagher once again waited patiently for his friend to calm down. He could not help but wonder what Tavish was planning for him, but whatever it was, it seemed important so he just rolled with it. Dell heard someone cursing at Tavish, then whispering something once again. Tavish cleared his throat.

"Righto, I knew that. Err, how about 'Tough Break'? That's a noice place", Tavish suggested.

"Sounds good to me! See you there then", Dell said.

"Bring your friend!" Tavish yelled to the phone, before he hang up. Dell gave out a sigh and put his phone back into his pocket, before returning back to work.

 

\--

 

The next day, Dell closed his store before noon and headed towards the cafe called "Tough Break". It was a small cafe that was famous for its sweet snacks that were too expensive for Dell to enjoy. At this time of day the shop wasn't so crowded, but when young hipsters were out of school, the place was full of people taking pictures of their drinks and chatting loudly.

The coffee shop wasn't too far away from Dell's workplace, so he reached the place in no time. As promised, his friend called 'Pyro' was waiting outside for him, his hands deep in his hoodie's pockets. As usual, Pyro was hiding his face as much as possible with dark sunglasses, a scarf and a large hood over his head. He was looking down at his feet and his hands were doing something inside his pockets. Pyro seemed nervous. He never did go out, and if he did, he didn't want to go alone.

"Hey, Pyro! Great you could come", Dell said with a bright voice. Pyro looked up from the ground, and under his hood there was almost like a blackhole instead of his face, if the lightning was just right. Dell chuckled at that. 

"If you stand right there, it looks like there is nothing but darkness under your hood", Dell mentioned. Pyro took his hand out of his pocket and pointed his thumb up. Then, he did weird movements with his hands, and it took a while for Dell to understand he was talking in sign language.

"Oh, you've learned that. Ah, sorry, I don't know any of that", Dell stuttered out. Pyro gave out a sigh, then tried to make simple letters with his hands. Dell followed intensily, repeating every letter out loud, so Pyro knew he understood.

"Y-O-U. Yes, me?" Dell pointed his round finger at himself. Pyro continued making hand signs.

"P-A-Y ... Oh! You want me to pay? Well, sure, but don't take anything too expensive", Conagher said and Pyro gave a satisfied nod. He guessed that this was his payment for Pyro, since he had agreed to go out of his comfort zone. 

"Let's go in."

 

Dell opened the shop door and let Pyro step in first, who eagerly looked around like a child in a theme park. Dell entered the place too and looked around like it was the first time he had been there. The first thing he noticed was the large blackboard full of beautiful handwriting, telling the names and prizes of their products. The blackboard was obviously placed behind the cash register, where there stood a nice looking young lady with a purple dress and a name plate over her chest. Behind her slightly crooked glasses there were a pair of bright green eyes that were looking over her shoulder a lot, like she was avoiding eye contact with the customer who was talking to her at the moment. And it was no big surprise, because the customer was not ordering anything at all. He was just talking.

"So, whaddya say? I've got two tickets for a movie tonight, if you would like to see it with me", a boy called Jeremy said, winking his eye multiple times. He pulled out two yellow colored tickets out of his pocket and waved them around. The young cashier gave a deep sigh.

"Jeremy, the line is growing longer. You either order something, or get out", Pauling said, moving her hands behind her head to fix her messy bun for a moment, before wiping her hands against the white apron. She gave a big bright smile as she said: "I am also very busy today. Sorry."

A face of defeat took over the boy's face.

Dell Conagher looked around some more. The place looked more expensive than he had remembered. There were a few wooden shelves filled with coffee bags with funky drawing designs on them and clear jars full of all kinds of cookies, some of them filled with chocolate, some of them filled with colorful candy. Small but bright light bulbs were hanging from the ceiling, some colorless Christmas lights were decorating the painted black walls next to some framed posters of old ads (all of them somehow coffee themed), and a lonely plant was placed in a corner near the door that led you to the bathroom. The tables were all in a neat line, the other side of the table pressed against a wall so you didn't have to travel around them to get to your seat. The smell of coffee beans and something sugary filled Dell's nostrils, and he could not help but lick his lips from the sight of the cupcakes and other pastries. The snacks looked fat and delicious, all of them decorated like birthday cakes, but the prices next to them made Dell give up on the dream of tasting one. Maybe someday.

Pyro suddenly headed towards a certain table that was located next to a window near a corner of the place. Dell looked at the direction his friend went and saw his friend hugging Tavish, before sitting next to the Scottish man. Dell headed towards their direction, giving a small wave with his prosthetic hand that was hidden under his trusty yellow glove. Tavish waved back at him, before turning his hand into a fist and pressing it against Pyro's hand, that was also in a tight fist. Their fists crashed together, before breaking apart as they wiggled their fingers. Some kind of a greeting thing usually kids did, because they thought it was cool. There was someone else at the table, someone whose face Dell could not see yet.

"Dell, ae would like to introduce ya to me friend, Jane Doe", Tavish said out loudly. The figure shifted and then quickly stood up, turning towards Dell. His cheeks were slightly flushed red, even the tip of Jane's ears were glowing, and the muscular man seemed embarrassed, or even shy. Dell smiled brightly when he recognized the man, who was still wearing his usual red jacket and cap, this time with a grey colored shirt. Conagher offered his left, more 'human' hand towards the man. Jane first looked at the hand a little shyly, before he grabbed it and shook it strongly.

"Hello, Jane. We meet again. Well, isn't this a coincidence", Dell could not help but laugh a little. Jane gave a soft laughter too, that sounded just a little bit forced. 

"It's nice to meet you again", the man stuttered out, before grabbing a chair and offering Dell to sit on it. "Oh, why thank you", Dell thanked the man and sat down onto the small wooden chair that had been painted as black as the night sky. Jane sat next to him, a shy smile never leaving his face. 

 

As they sat down, both of them took a hold of the small menus and started looking what they felt like eating today. Dell looked through the long list of coffees and quickly checked out the list of some snacks that would be fulfilling enough to work as a meal. Jane, on the other hand, admired how pretty the pictures and drawings were. Tavish and Pyro both just looked at them, both of them wearing a wide smirk on their faces, sometimes eyeing each other. It was they were watching a fist fight, expect this was much more calm and exciting to them.

"So, Jane", Dell started, gaining immediate reaction from the other man. "You and Tavish are friends, right? How come we have never met before?"

"Uh, I don't know", Jane started, looking at his friend Tavish who just shrugged at him. "I mean, I have heard a lot about you, but didn't get a change to ever meet you. Until now, of course", Jane stuttered out, somehow trying to keep the conversation going. It was quite obvious he was nervous, and Tavish and Pyro could not help but try not to laugh. 

"Really? Well, I'm glad we finally met then", Dell Conagher said with a friendly smile. Jane turned completely red from that and pulled his cap down, trying to hide his obvious shyness. Tavish laughed out loud, wiping some tears away from his eye as Dell looked around, wondering what was so funny. Pyro hit the black man with his elbow and Tavish gasped, coughing for a moment before collecting himself to be more professional.

"Krhhm, ye, about dat", he started. "We have a whole group of friends, dat we are all a part of, but somehow yeh two never met each other", Tavish explained. 

"Really?" Dell asked, raising his other eyebrow.

"Yeh! Like it's us, then there's Mundy, the van guy and his secret french lover with a mask", Tavish started listing everyone who was a part of their group, holding his fingers up in case he lost count. Dell shivered from the mention of the french man, who was also a man with no name. Dell knew it was the same guy from all the way back from high school - a bully. Still years after, Dell did not like him, even if he knew nothing about him. He did not care if this man with a mask had changed at all. This man had toyed and destroyed with whatever Dell had created, never explaining why. And his name was unknown, even to the teachers back then. People called him 'Spy' or 'spook', because he seemed to know everything about everyone, but no one knew anything about him. No one knew his real name, his past or his job. It was rumored he was a spy, like everyone suspected him to be. Tavish had told Dell, that he had heard Mundy call the man by a name - Jamon. But it was unknown if that was some sort of a pet name, a code name or at least Spy's second name. But everyone who was close with him called him Jamon too, but Dell still stick with the name 'bloody spy'.

"Then there is Mikhail, the big lad who Jane loves to wrestle and then there's yer friend Ludwig", Tavish continued, holding his fingers up to make sure he got everyone. 

"Oh I know Ludwig. We're still good friends, since we both are -", Dell started. "Nerds", Tavish finished his sentence. Dell huffed at that, but decided to take it as a joke and not be too offended by it. Ludwig was a friend of his, a doctor who was the only person who Dell could talk to about science. Ludwig and he had known each other since high school, and they talked to each other quite often. Mikhail, shortly Misha, was Ludwig's Russian friend, who every now and then helped him, sometimes even followed the doctor like a body guard. He did not talk much, but he was quite chatty with his doctor. They were obvious lovers.

"Wait, you know doctor? I visit him quite frequently!" Jane said proudly. Conagher looked at the man for a moment, completely silent, waiting for Jane to explain why. Pyro could be heard giggling and Tavish coughed a little, trying to somehow tell Jane to explain why.

_'Oh, right. I do stupid shit'_ , was something Jane Doe would usually say, because it was completely true. He did things without fully thinking first. But the look Tavish gave him said something that telling a lie would work better now.

"I get easily hurt, so that's why", Jane said. Tavish waved his hand a little, hinting that Jane should keep going. "And ... I also take some of my students there, when they get hurt."

"So you're a teacher?" Dell asked. He was still holding onto the menu, his stomach growling silently.

"A football coach, to be precise", Jane said with a smile. "And a pretty damn good one, too." Dell laughed.

Tavish gasped loudly. "Oi, I remember now! One of Jane's students sometimes hangs out with us, 'cos he got no friends", he said with a smirk and looked across the cafe. The others looked in the same direction and saw Jeremy sitting on a table all alone, drinking vanilla milkshake with a cherry on top while his eyes were completely clued to one of the waitresses. Probably Pauling.

"Oh, haven't met him", Dell said.

"Trust me, ya don't want to."

 

They finally decided to look through the menu and choose what kind of beverages they wished to have. Tavish ended up taking a chocolate twist and a darjeeling tea, which made everyone wonder if the Scottish man ever knew what tea was. Pyro took a simple strawberry milkshake, that had chocolate sprinkled all over it and a cute cherry on top. Dell was thirsty for some classic cappucino and took a sandwich with it to ease his hunger. Jane instead decided to take the same kind of sandwich but with chocolate milk covered in whipped cream. Dell couldn't help but think his choice of drink was adorable.

Dell Conagher offered to go and order their things, and Tavish gave him some money before the florist headed towards the checkout desk. The Scottish man and the hooded person both turned towards Jane, leaning in closer and talking quietly.

"How's it going?" Finnegan asked, almost laying on top of the table as he tried to keep his voice down.

"I don't know, I - he seems very sweet", Jane muttered out, scratching the back of his neck. He looked over his shoulder and saw Dell waiting in a short line. He rubbed his right shoulder for a second, stretched a little bit and then rolled his shoulder couple of times like his hand was in pain. Jane imagined giving him a rub to ease his ache, but then shook his head to get rid of thoughts like that. _Too early_ , he told himself.

"Sweet? Ye never use dat word", Tavish muttered out, squinting his eyes.

"I know! I'm acting like a girl! God, maybe this is a bad idea. No, it is a bad idea, I can't do dating", Jane whined and buried his face into his hands, shaking his head. Pyro just raised his brows and leaned closer to his Scottish friend, whispering something into his ear. Tavish kept nodding, mumbling 'yes' and 'uhhuh' multiple times, making their friend curious what they were chatting about. Jane looked over his shoulder and saw Dell finally taking their order. He rolled his shoulder again. Soon, Tavish leaned away from the hooded man and tapped his finger at Jane's shoulder to gain his attention back.

"Pyro says dat ye are still in denial, or yer just a wuss. Anyway, he believes ya gotta have the magical moment with Dell in order for ya to be comfy with 'im", Tavish explained. 

"Magical moment? Like unicorns puking rainbows on us?" Jane Doe asked, quite confused. Pyro seemed to like the idea of puking unicorns, as he clapped his hands softly together. He was wearing broken gloves, that showed his dirty black fingers with some skin missing. Jane cringed at that but bit his lip to be more polite.

"Ya know, like in the movies. You two bump into each other, the other one drops somethin' and you start pickin' it up together and yer eyes meet ... Love at first sight!" Tavish explained and snapped his fingers right in front of Jane's eyes like he was waking the man up back to reality.

"But we kinda had our moment already", Jane said. "Was it mutual?" Tavish asked and raised his eyebrows at him. Jane bit his lip. Not like he knew if Dell was as interested in him in the same way as Jane was interested in Dell. Just something in Dell told Jane that they could get along well, maybe a bit more than usually. Deep inside, he really wanted to get to know the florist.

 

Tavish gave out a long, loud sigh. "Do the moment thing again. Bump into him. Go help him with the order", he ordered.

"Fine, fine", Jane rasped out and stood up fast, turning around so he could head towards the cash register, but as soon as he turned around he bumped into Dell who was just returning to his seat. Dell was carrying a plate number in his right hand and some coins he got back in his left hand, and he dropped all of them onto the ground, the coins making a loud melody ring around the coffee shop. Everyone turned to look at them, but luckily no one ran towards them and tried to steal the money they had dropped.

"Oh fuck, I'm sorry-", Jane cursed and went down onto his knees, picking up the plate number and put it on the table, so whenever the waitress would bring their order, she would know what table to go to. 

"No, no, it's alright", Dell Conagher laughed it off and went on his knees too, starting to pick up the cash and burying it into his pant's pockets. Right between the men there was one coin shining like the sun, waiting to be picked up, and just like in the movies, both Jane and Dell reached for it. Dell's hand picked up the coin, but Jane's hand still followed and landed on top of his hand. It was almost like in the silly romantic movies, expect Jane didn't get to savor the feeling of Dell's skin. Jane's hand went over Conagher's right hand, that was hidden under his yellow work glove, so only thing he could feel was rubber of some sort. But Jane was pressing down hard, and he could feel something hard under it and he looked at their hands for a moment. Dell's hand was unnaturally hard and rocky, like it wasn't even human. Jane got curious about what he had under that glove.

Jane Doe quickly lifted his head up and his eyes met with Dell's. The florist's eyes were a mix of the midnight sky blue and the soft forest green and Jane swore they were the kind of eyes he had never seen. Jane's own bright blue eyes opened wide open and his mouth opened slightly. He could only stare at Dell, just admiring the beauty he saw in front of him. Dell seemed to have the same reaction - for a few seconds that felt like a beautiful eternity, they both just looked at each other like they were a pair of majestic paintings, before both of them looked away from each other, flustered. Dell picked up the rest of his coins up and put them into his pocket, couching a little to calm down. Jane rubbed the back of his neck, handing over the cash he had picked up to Dell, muttering a quiet 'here' and not making anymore eye contacts. Both of their cheeks were flushed red and suddenly the air between them was tight.

 

Tavish smiled so widely that his cheeks were hurting, feeling victorious. He gave a fist bump to Pyro, not believing the overly romantic scene in front of him.

"It worked", he whispered to Pyro, who just hummed back with a pleased tune.

"I bet they will start bangin' very soon", he continued and gave a smirk to his friend. Pyro signed with his hands _'You wanna bet?'_

"Oh yeh. Ten dollars to me if they are banging in two weeks", Tavish said. 

_'And if they don't, ten dollars to me'_ , Pyro signed with his hands. They shook hands as an agreement and then returned acting 'normal' when Dell and Jane sat back down onto the table, acting like nothing had happened between them.

 

When their orders finally came, the four of them ate and drank together, talking together and telling stories like they were all in high school, secretly staying off school without caring if they would get detention. They talked about their other friends who weren't there, and how they all should meet together at Tavish's bar some friday and get together. Even if Dell wasn't a party guy, or a guy who hang out in big groups, he took the offer happily and made a promise to show up at the bar on friday. The air around them was free and relaxed, but every now and then Dell and Jane made a short eye contact and both of them knew that things were going to be a little different between them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you're clever, and you realized that all the coffee shop names are references to TF2 updates, clap your hands ! Also, sorry it took me a bit longer to post this one, wasn't able to write during the weekend, I was shacking my gf.


	4. Sweet Pea

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sweet Pea indicates delicate pleasure and bliss. It is a flower symbolic of departure after having a good time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long break of no updates ! I didn't realize how busy I got with life and everything. I apologize for being inactive and I will try to write more often. Still a reminder that I have no plans for the story, so I write when I have inspiration for the next one. I hope you enjoy this chapter!

Next Friday, as promised, Dell headed towards the local bar after closing his shop and saying good-bye to his bees like they were his children. In a way, they were his children. He was their caretaker, after all.

Dell felt a little weird about going outside and having a night out with the boys. He often stayed at home alone, working on his own things. It wasn't sad or depressing even if he sometimes felt lonely. Dell Conagher enjoyed being in his own company most of the time. Social interactions were no trouble for him, but if he could stay away from them, then he gladly would. Dell wasn't sure if he even felt like partying like a bunch of college students - he knew his friend Tavish was a heavy drinker and apparently a lot of bar fights happened there on the weekends, and Dell wasn't sure if he was really into that. The biggest thing that frightened him was meeting Jane again.

Dell would be lying to himself, if there was nothing between them. The first day he had met the man, he had somehow gotten interested in Jane. He seemed a little slow and not too clever, but at the same time his childish behavior seemed entertaining. Simply put, Dell saw a friend in Jane. But after Tavish had arranged into that coffee date, it had been obvious he wanted something more to happen between Dell and Jane. And something indeed did happen. The moment they had together was so disgustingly sweet that Dell could not help but think of all those romantic movies he had secretly watched, imagining what his life would be like with a little romance in it. Dell hated romantic comedies, but some of them worked quite fine for his enjoyment. Even if the moment when Jane helped Dell to pick his money up was completely ripped off of some teenage drama movie, Conagher could not help the feeling it gave him. He felt a little weird about his own emotions now. Dell couldn't put a word to it - it was a feeling he had before when he was a young man and when he saw a man so handsome in the train that he thought about that man the whole week -

Dell Conagher shook his head and kept walking towards the bar.

He wasn't the kind of man someone would like anyway.

 

 

\--

 

 

Dell entered the saloon when the clock was somewhere near eight and the sky was a mix of purple and dark blue, expect on the horizon where there were stripes of soft pink. He stepped in and hanged his brown coat on one of the black coat stands that were located near the door. A strong scent of whiskey and other liquors took over his nostrils, a faint smell of cigar hinting that you were allowed to smoke inside. The place wasn't too crowded, thankfully, but at the corner of the bar there was a clear group of people surrounding one table that wasn't big enough for all of them. Dell took a quick look at his clothes - his trusty brown pants and shoes, mixed together with a dark blue button shirt with rolled up sleeves. His right prosthetic hand was still hiding under his yellow working glove, but he hoped no one would start asking questions about it. Dell had no idea if he had dressed up right for the occasion, but he hoped his clothing was 'relaxed' enough for the fun night. He started walking towards the obvious group of his friends, looking around the place at the same time. On his right side, there was a long wooden counter with seats with no rest. Behind the counter there were shelves full of bottles of all kinds of liquor, in one tiny shelf some salty snacks with high prices. Only one person was sitting at the counter, so drunk they couldn't hold their head up anymore. On Dell's left side there were tables surrounded with cushioned chairs to ensure a comfortable night for everyone. One pool table was located far away from everything else, the colorful balls covering the grass green surface after a joyful game. A few simple white lamps were hanging down from the roof and some artwork from the 80's that were too colorful compared to the brown walls were hanging above some seats. An old jukebox stood near the door and it was silently playing some country music, something Dell secretly loved. 

Dell's eyes caught a black piano sitting alone far away in a small stage, that was only like 2 inches higher from the floor he was standing on. On the stage there were also two pairs of microphones, their cords going across the floor to the other side. Across from the stage, Dell saw a simple TV placed near the corner, so high it almost reached the rooftop. Dell guessed you could sing on the stage as someone played the piano, but if you were too drunk to remember the correct words, you could just play karaoke and read the text from the television screen. The setup was a little impractical - the cords were on the floor, ready to be stepped on. And the TV was placed right above the set of chairs where Dell's friends were sitting in, so if you wanted to do karaoke you had to look up at the television screen and do your best to avoid awkward eye contact with your friends. Dell promised himself he wouldn't sing today.

 

When Dell Conagher finally reached the table, Tavish called out to him happily with a large drink in his hand. "Heyy, it's Dell, ma boy", he shouted happily, one hiccup escaping out of his mouth. Dell could not tell if Tavish was already really drunk - since he was that kind of a man who could handle his liquor for a long time -, or if he was just pretending to get some giggles out. Or maybe 'drunk' was just a part of his personality. Everyone turned around to look at him, giving smiles and waving hands. They quickly gave him room around the table, putting one empty chair next to Jane. Tavish was once again smiling so wildly that it was clear he had planned everything once again.

"Ya'll know Dell, 'ight?" Tavish asked. Mostly nods came out, only a few shaking heads were seen from people who knew Dell only by his face but didn't really know anything about him. "Hi", Dell said awkwardly and sat down. The table was large enough to leave a little room for everyone to sit around it, but the wooden round piece of furniture was already full of all kinds of drinks. Apparently they were not going to get up from their seats in hours. Few bottles were still unopened, some glasses almost empty with slightly melted ice and soon one small glass was handed to Dell, and someone poured unknown alcohol into it, the small ice clacking against the round walls of his drink.

 

Dell took a quick look at the people around him, all eight of them. The first one he locked eyes with was the youngster he saw in the cafe the other day. He called himself 'Jay', but no one ever used that name on Jeremy. Like Dell had heard, Jane was a football coach to Jeremy, and the florist wondered if it was awkward for them to hang out together. What he had also heard was that Jeremy worked at a fast food joint, which was just pathetic, because the young man had never finished his studies and now he was barely getting by. It was visible - in front of him, there was one half-empty glass and for some reason, a small juice box next to it. The apple flavored juice had a straw poking out of it, hinting Jeremy had taken a drink from it. Jeremy was donning a short brown haircut and a red shirt with dog tags hanging from his neck, hinting he had went to army like every young man his age. Next to him, there was Pyro, Dell's dear friend. He was putting his lighter on and off over and over again, before finally taking it away just in case there was a risk for the fire to spread. After all, they were surrounded with alcohol, and who knows when Pyro would suddenly make a quick molotov and burn the place down. As usual, Pyro had covered his face completely. Hood over his head and a scarf and sunglasses covering his face, Pyro sat there with his hands in his pockets without saying a word.

Dell was seated next to his German friend Ludwig, who worked as a doctor. They greeted each other happily after not seeing each other in a while. Ludwig's black hair was slightly messy, his round glasses crooked over his pointy nose and his tie was loose over his white buttoned shirt. His sleeves were rolled up, revealing an old watch that was wrapped around his wrist. Ludwig enjoyed drinking whiskey every now and then, but when consuming a large amount of it, he found everything funny. Seemed like Ludwig was prepared to be a little drunk. Next to him sat a large bald man with his arms crossed over his round stomach. He had a large drink in front of it that he had not even touched yet. This man was known as Mikhail and he had lived most of his live in the cold side of Russia, before moving in into this city. The first person to help him had been Ludwig and they had been friends, maybe even more, ever since. Mikhail's English was a little broken, but everyone still understood him. Luckily he didn't talk much in the first place.

Next to Jane there was Tavish, who was seated in a place where he could easily get up and move behind the counter, if more customers came in asking for drinks and such. But next to him there were two people Dell had not seen in years. Mundy and Jamon.

Mundy was Australian with a very thick accent. He worked at the zoo with the most exotic animals, some of them even so dangerous they could eat him. Whenever he wasn't working in the zoo, he was working with his own business mostly during the heated summers. Mundy owned a piece of land and he rented vans and allowed tourists to stop and stay on his land for the night with a little pay. It was an easy job, if you just ignored the kids that sometimes vandalized his beloved vans by throwing rocks at the windows or spray painting dicks on the doors. At some point, the kids thought it would be fun to pee on the walls of the vans. So Mundy had found a way to keep the kids away - he hid on the roof of the van and when the hooligans would come for a visit again, he would pee on them. Revenge had never been so sweet and disgusting at the same time.

Next to Mundy sat his rumored boyfriend with a cigar between his lips. Dell felt a little uneasy around him, since his relationship with Jamon had never been easy, but he did his best to move on from the past. No one really knew what Jamon even did as his living and for some reason, no one really even cared. No one really knew why he had moved into this small city in the first place. But one thing was sure - He was french, which was clear from his accent. Jamon was wearing a dark maroon colored mask over his face that only revealed his mouth and piercing eyes to the world. He was wearing an old fedora on top of his head and a dark red striped scarf around his neck. He was wearing a trench coat even inside, refusing to take it off. His whole appearance just screamed 'spy' and 'FBI' to everybody, and everyone was careful not to accidentally expose any secrets near him.

 

Another song started playing from the antique jukebox that was sitting far away from them and everyone started chatting a little bit. It was clear everyone had their own groups - Tavish was eyeing towards Pyro, who was signing to him back with his hands. Ludwig talked to his Russian friend and every now and then laughed happily when Mikhail cracked a joke. Both Mundy and Jamon stayed quiet, since that seemed to be something they both enjoyed doing - being silent. Jeremy was just talking to himself.

Dell turned his gaze towards Jane and realized the man had been looking at him. Jane's eyes widened as he realized he had been caught staring. His cheeks flushed red and he pulled his cap down to hide his shame, turning to look down at his drink. Dell gave out a soft giggle.

Dell Conagher felt slightly left out from the group. It had been a while since the last time the whole gang was together. And it showed. Everyone was mostly talking to their own closest friends, but hopefully everyone would relax soon and start conversations with people they haven't talked to much yet. Dell took a sip from his drink and looked around. Jane tapped his fingers against the wooden table and took a long sip from his drink, before banging the glass strongly on the table. He then slowly looked at Dell, then looked away again, biting his lip. It was clear he wanted to say something, but was too ... afraid to do it? Dell understood. It was hard to start another conversation, when seven other people were all talking loudly around you.

"Quite noisy, isn't it?" Dell joked out, leaning closer to Jane's ear so he didn't have to shout. Jane leaned towards him, too, to hear better. "Yeah", he said, not giving direct eye contact. His eyes kept wandering around the place - his friends who were all talking to each other, on the painted walls with not much decoration on them, sometimes down onto his combat shoes, that were slightly dirty when he had stepped on mud. Dell Conagher looked at his new shy friend, lifting his hexagon shaped glasses and fixing his gloved hand, making sure his prosthetic arm was hidden well. He was not sure why he was hiding it - maybe he didn't want to scare Jane Doe away.

"I'm glad I get to know you better, Jane", Dell blurted out his thoughts. If Jane had been drinking something, he would have choked on his drink. He turned to look towards Dell, still leaning closer to hear the shorted man better.

"Oh", he started, swallowing heavily and waiting a few seconds before he continued his words. "How so?"

"Remember how you described the roses the day we met?" Dell mentioned. Jane took a moment to remember what he had exactly said that day, and even if he had a memory of a chicken, he luckily remembered that day quite well. 

 

 

 

_"My mother told me that roses are always blushing, because the bees kiss them, because they are the sweetest kind of flower!"_

 

 

 

"Well, I thought it was quite sweet. Unusual thing to hear from a man like you", Conagher explained and took a sip from his drink, licking his lips afterwards. Jane raised his eyebrows at the man. "A man like ... me?" 

"Ah, I didn't mean to offend ya. Just meant that ...", Dell was suddenly struggling with his words. "I just haven't met a person, who looks so strong and virile on the outside but on the inside seems to be a lot more ... gentle and almost childlike. In a positive way, of course."

Dell said those words with a soft smile and even if Jane did not understand the meaning of his words first, he could not help but take them as a compliment after seeing the man's smiling face. Jane could feel himself blush a little and he could not help but smile back. "Well, uh, thank you", he slowly mumbled out, running his fingers against the glass that felt slightly moist on his finger tips. "People often just call me stupid, but now I don't feel so stupid", he mumbled and took a long sip from his drink. Dell looked at the man, feeling small pity towards him. He wondered if Jane got bullied a lot, even if he looked like a man who could break your skull. Bravely the florist gave a cheerful tap on the man's shoulder.

"Now, now, you're not stupid to me", he said, now with a more confident smile. Jane Doe gave him a wide smile and lifted his glass up. Dell followed him, lifting his own mug and banging it against Jane's drink so hard they almost shattered onto their hands. 

 

Their short conversation was interrupted just at the right moment, when Tavish had called out to them, telling everyone to be quiet. Dell took another sip from his drink, already feeling a little too excited for the night. He wasn't sure if it was the beer or his own body hormones, but for some reason, Dell felt a little nervous. His hands - or hand - was a little sweaty and his heart was thumbing unusually fast.

"Oi Dell, tell us about yer flower shop!" he asked loudly, turning everyone's attention towards him. A few from the group seemed actually interested to hear about the man's new job, but probably only because so they could hear why Dell left the engineering field to do something this 'feminine'. Some of them continued drinking, not very interested to hear about flowers. Jeremy scoffed loudly. "Seriously, do we want to hear about some flower shit? Can't we talk about something else, like football?" he complained.

"Scout, no one is ever listenin' to yer stories", Tavish said to him and laughter broke out from the table. Even Jamon - the bloody spook - left out a soft laughter and blew out some smoke happily. Jeremy complained for not being noticed enough, but he tried to laugh with the others anyway. He knew he talked too much, but never did anything to stop it or at least calm it down a little.

"It would be interesting why you chose this career path", Ludwig said, tightening his red tie to make himself look more professional, even if his glasses were still slightly crooked to the side and his hair had been ruffled completely out of its original place. He let out a hiccup and more chuckles came from the men. 

Conagher rubbed the back of his neck, thinking where he should start. It was a bit pressuring to have everyone's eyes and ears turned towards him.

"Well, I've always been interested in flowers for some reason. Ever since I was a kid. I guess I liked how much my dear old mom loved them, they always seemed to make her happy when I picked some up for her. So, I guess I want to make others happy too with my flowers", Dell Conagher explained, looking down at his drink. His glass was already half empty. 

"That's deep", Mundy muttered out quietly. He was playing with a pocket knife he had at some point taken out of his pocket and now he was pressing his fingers against the sharp tip, probably checking how hard he could press it until it would hurt too much.

"That's gay", Jeremy snorted out. Pyro punched the man in the stomach and Jeremy was left gasping for air. Pyro didn't even hit that hard.

"That's beautiful", Jane Doe said quietly, crossing his arms as he looked deeply into Dell's eyes that were colored like the summer day nature. Dell gave him a smile that secretly said _'thank you'_.

 

"I also raise bees. I'm planning to sell some honey, if they decide to make any", Dell joked and laughed a little, getting a few laughs in return. 

"Honey is good", the big Russian man said and gave a thumbs up for the former engineer, his thumb twice as big as Dell's own little nub. Suddenly, Tavish started laughing a little too much and he banged his hand against the table so hard it shook like there was an earthquake. He soon did his best to calm down and he wiped a tear away from his only eye before pointing at Jane.

"Honey reminds me of dat one honey-related little incident", the Scottish man laughed. "No, not that story", Jane muttered, moving his hand against his throat and moving it left to right, trying to signal his best friend to shut up or he would cut his throat open. But Tavish had already started and it was too late to go back without telling the adventure.

"I want to hear it", everyone muttered out together, nodding their heads and leaning closer to the table, excited to hear the story. Tavish prepared to tell the story and Jane hid his face under his hat and slapping his hand over his eyes in embarrassment.

 

"So, here's the thin'. Ya'll know Jane takes care of lil' raccoons in his spare time, righto?" he started. Tavish was leaning on the table heavily just like everyone else, and it looked like they were silently going through their plan to rob a bank. Everyone nodded silently, even Dell, even if he didn't know about that side of Jane. He liked the man ever more - it was unusual to take care of raccoons especially, but it was nice to know Jane cared for animals who might need his helpful hand.

"Well, this one tiem he got a call from a woman. He never gets calls from women, and for a reason", Tavish joked, but stopped when Jane told him to shut up. A sensitive subject. "Anyway, the caller was an old lady, complainin' about a 'raccoon problem' in her ol' garage. She promises to pay good moneyh if we go there and get rid of it."

So far so interesting. Jane still keeps hiding, ashamed.

"He agreed, but even with me help, we couldn't catch the lil' shite. So, this dude gets an idea and starts singin' the National Anthem as he goes to the shop -", Tavish told the story like they were all kids, listening to the most scary story of the decade, waiting for the next part that would scare them so hard they would wet their pants.

"Oh, god", Jane muttered in embarrassment and turned away from the others, still keeping his face hidden.

"- and the man buys honey. A lot of fuckin' honey."

 

"Wow, that's it?" Jeremy interrupted their story. He got a smack on the back of his head, and no words were needed to tell the youngster he needed to stay quiet for one fucking minute. Tavish rolls his eyes before getting back into the story.

"Jane tries to lure the lil bastard out with honey, because he claims they love honey. Two and a half hours, and nothin'. Raccoon is too scared to get out. So what does Jane do?" Tavish keeps a break from the story, moving his eyes through everyone who was eagerly listening. Everybody raised their eyebrows and opening their eyes wider, waiting to hear more.

"Suddenly, Jane gets naked and covers himself completely in honey."

Laughter erupts, some laugh so hard they snort and choke on their drink. Jane's face turns almost completely red. He wasn't the kind of person who could be humiliated, but this night was just so much different. "Believe it or not, the crazy man walks over to the raccoon, naked and covered in honey, and -", Tavish tells the story after their laughter had quieted down, keeping everyone up on their seat. "The lil raccoon actually comes to him and starts lickin' honey off of him!"

More laughter. But one person is a little confused.

 

"Wait, don't tell me", Jeremy started, squinting his eyes for a while. Everyone looked at him. The youngest man pointed his finger towards his own crotch.

"Down there?"

Tavish stays quiet for a while, crossing his fingers together. He first makes a serious face and looks down, giving a quick lick to his lips. He then looks up and smiles.

"Well, that's the place that looked the most delicious to the raccoon!"

 

More laughter is heard and everyone is so loud that their laughter and snorts take over the music. Someone is joking about it being Jane's first blow job, and the laughter lasts even longer. They are almost falling of their chairs. Jane finally turns back to the table and ignores everyone's mocking laughter towards him, knowing well they don't mean any harm by it. His eyes are only glued to one man, anyway - Jane Doe keeps looking at Dell, loving how his cheeks are red like berries and how chubby they look when the man smiles. His laughter is deep yet soft, and his body shakes a lot from it, especially his stomach that kept jumping up and down. Even if the story was embarrassing, he didn't mind anymore. He only hoped Dell didn't dislike him or anything.

Jane came slowly back to reality and decided to enter the conversation. "We got the animal out anyway and got some nice money from the old nice lady! So laugh all you want, but I'm now rich!" Jane said proudly, lifting his chin up.

"Jane, ya used all of the money to have a picnic with 'em raccoons!" Tavish said and laughed even more.

"Oh, right."

 

After a story like that, everyone feels more comfortable with the new faces around the table. They continue telling stories - Mikhail was inspired to tell a story about bears and apparently he has wrestled a beast that big before. And he won. Through his thick accent and slightly weak English skills, the man keeps everyone on the edge of their seat, listening carefully about his very detailed story. Then Ludwig continues and tells about a patient, who came into his office complaining about 'not having enough blood'. Apparently, the patient often cut his finger and his nose bled a lot, so he was afraid he soon would not have enough blood in his veins to keep him alive. The only advice Ludwig had given him was : "Well, just put the blood back in and you'll be fine". Chuckles were heard, some questioning if Ludwig had a license to be a real doctor.

They tell stories to each other, all of them always ending up in laughter. Dell finds himself having a good time, but the more he drinks, the more giggly he gets. And way too soon he is laughing so hard he almost chokes when Jeremy falls out of his chair and says curse words only a child would use. At one point, Tavish goes behind the piano and plays three songs while everyone sings along, even if they don't know the words. When the fourth song is starting, Dell feels like he has had enough. It's already late, and if he doesn't have a hangover tomorrow - which is only a daydream now -, he has to open his shop. Dell Conagher rubs his forehead, wondering if it would be rude for him to leave. But then he looks around. Two people have left their seats already and Jeremy is snoring. Pyro is holding a cold can of coke on Jeremy's forehead, his head hanging so low his scarf and sunglasses almost fall down to the floor, revealing his face.

"Pyro, could you walk me home?" Dell leans over the table to get his friends attention. The roommate shakes his head and points a finger towards Jeremy. Apparently he had to take care of the passed out youngster. Pyro was probably the only one who cared about him, and if he didn't stay, Tavish would just close the shop and leave Jeremy inside.

"That's OK, I'll go alone then", the florist says and gets up, the chair creaking loudly. He was about to walk towards the coat hanger where he had left his jacket, but he stumbled on his own feet and lost his balance for a moment. Luckily, someone grabbed him and made sure he didn't fall down to the ground. Someone was behind him, holding his hands under Dell's arms, pulling the florist towards his own body.

"Wow, had a little too much?" Jane joked and straightened Dell, who was almost falling right into his lap. "Maybe just a little", Dell admits with a chuckle. He felt a little silly for being slightly drunk - he often drank a bottle or two while working when he was an engineer, but tonight he just drank everything he was offered. And whenever he finished his drink, he was offered more. 

"I'll call a taxi for us", Jane Doe said and started walking Dell towards the door. He turned towards Tavish, who was singing out of key yet still so beautifully and waved at him. The cyclops winked at him, but since he had only one eye, he just blinked. But his wide smirk told Jane, that he was surely gonna get it tonight. Jane rolled his eyes. At the door, Jane grabbed Dell's coat from the hanger and helped the florist put it on. He then put on his own red jacket, lowered his hat slightly more before leaving the bar.

 

It was almost pitch black outside and on top of it all, it was raining. Jane took out his phone and called the taxi to come to their location, soon burying his phone pack into his pocket. Jane and Dell waited for the taxi together with Mundy and Jamon, who had been outside for a long break. Both of them were smoking, neither of them very chatty, but they kept the conversation going until the taxi came. When a car pulled over on the street, both Jane and Dell entered the car and sat next to each other on the backseat. Dell Conagher mumbled out his address multiple times, until the driver finally understood where he was going, and the car started moving. Jane secretly wrote down the address onto his phone, just in case he would forget it. You never know when you need it.

The taxi driver wasn't one of those who talked to his customers, and Jane was not sure if it was a good thing or a bad thing. It was dead silent between him and Dell, only the sound of the rain falling against the window glass and the soft tunes on the radio were filling in on the silence. Jane looked out of the window, watching how the clouds were grey and how the rain hit the ground like bullets, admiring how the city looked like when it was asleep. Few lights were on there and there, still a few people walking on the streets, hiding under umbrellas. Jane could not help but listen to the lyrics of the song that was playing almost silently in the car. He recognized the song immediately when the chorus started. It was one of the classics, something the punks of these days would never appreciate.

 

_Baby, you're all that I want_

 

_When you're lyin' here in my arms_

 

_I'm findin' it hard to believe_

 

_We're in heaven_

 

Jane looked over at Dell and noticed his eyes were closed. Blue light took over the man's facial features, bringing everything out so perfectly that Jane could not help but stare. He felt his cheeks go hot and his heart suddenly started beating stronger against his chest. Jane swallowed. He silently leaned a little closer. Dell's head was leaning against his own shoulder, his face turned towards the football coach just perfectly. Jane felt wrong for feeling like this, but he could not help himself at all. It had been far too long since the last time he had ever kissed anybody, and right now seemed to be a perfect moment for it, even if the other man was almost asleep. The fact it was almost midnight and it was raining without them getting wet, the music on the background only encouraging Jane to just lean in and steal one small kiss ... Jane Doe moved a little closer, their faces already inches apart. He bit his lip and swallowed so heavily the sound of it was almost audible. Jane gave a small nod to himself and closed his eyes.

Suddenly, the car turned and Dell's whole body leaned against Jane, destroying the one-sided romantic mood they had. In just a few seconds, Jane had completely forgotten they were in a taxi and in fact, driving towards Dell's home. Jane took a deep breath, and rubbed his eyes for a moment. He told himself to calm down multiple times, before he was able to function normally again. He looked down at the florist, who opened his eyes for a moment before closing them again, taking a comfortable position. He leaned his head now on Jane's shoulder, and the man froze. Jane Doe bit his lip and looked out of the window again, staying completely still until the taxi finally stopped.

 

Jane quickly paid for the ride, telling the driver to keep the rest as he woke Dell up and helped him out of the car. They stepped on a puddle together, wetting their shoes as they headed towards the multi-storey building Dell lived in. Both of the men entered the building, both of them already soaked from the rain. 

"What floor?" Jane asked.

"Fourth", Dell answered shortly. He seemed tired, because he was rubbing his eyes. Jane wondered if Dell was one of those people who just got sleepy when they were a bit drunk.

"What door number?" he asked.

"19", Conagher answered shortly. Jane looked at him and noticed how the man was tilting to the side, so he wrapped his arm around Dell's waist and pulled him closer. He only did it so Dell wouldn't suddenly fall and hit his head. But suddenly it felt very hot and once again Jane was blushing.

"Don't fall asleep on me, Dell", Jane laughed out nervously and started walking up the stairs, Dell following him. "I would never", the florist just laughed and tried to keep up with Jane's steps. They made their way up slowly, every now and then giggling when they almost lost balance and fell down. Even if it was fun and Jane got to be so close to Dell, he still secretly wished the building had an elevator.

Jane felt weird in the bottom of his stomach.

They finally reached the right floor and Jane looked around for a moment, before heading right and soon finding the door that had a gold-colored number slate on it that said '19'. Jane immediately tried to open it, but as both Pyro and Dell had left the apartment, the door was obviously locked.

"Key?"

"In my right pocket", Dell muttered out. Jane swallowed. He carefully, very carefully so Dell wouldn't get the wrong idea, pushed the man against the wall and reached into his jacket's pocket. He found it empty. He dug deeper, but still nothing. Just in case, he checked the left pocket. Empty too. Dell opened his eyes slightly and giggled.

"No, my pant pocket, silly", he said with a smirk before closing his eyes and banging his head against the wall. Jane blushed and looked down.

"Oh. R-right", he muttered quietly. He took a deep breath and buried his hand into the right pocket, his fingers immediately meeting with the keys. He quickly took them out and started going through all of the keys, until he found the one that fit perfectly. There was a click and the door opened. Jane helped Dell enter his own apartment and with his leg he closed the door behind them. 

 

It was surprisingly a big apartment, as Jane had thought the apartments were going to be dinky and tiny. There was a bathroom on their left, a closet for jackets and shoes on the right. He took a few steps forward from the corridor and entered a big room, that was a kitchen and a living room combined together. The kitchen was small, but pretty to look at. Everything was white - the fridge, the oven, the shelves that had white cutlery inside of them ... even the counter that had a bowl of fruits was white. The living room was boring but still looked cozy. There was a large window next to a door that took you to a small balcony that had two garden chairs and a tiny table. There were some clothes hanging from ropes outside, probably drying but since it was still raining, they were wet once again. One black sofa was pushed against the wall with falling wallpaper and surprisingly, there was a simple painting of flowers above it, probably just covering a dirty spot on the wall. An old rug was covering the floor and it was weirdly hairy. Jane was sure it would tickle his feet if he had no shoes on. There was a small TV on top of a table across from the sofa. The table had cabinet doors in it, so Jane imagined they were full of CD's of different kind of movies. He suddenly wondered what kind of movies Dell watched.

"My room is the one on the left", Dell yawned out, his body going more limp every second. Jane saw two doors - the other one had a sign made out of paper that had "PYRO" written on it with crayons. He walked Dell to his room and opened the door.

Jane took his time to just look around Dell's room. It was quite simple. He had some small flowers and a cactus standing by the window that had no curtains. His bed was located under the window, which was something Jane had always wanted to have. It was just nice to have your bed by the window. Dell had a simple wooden table with a small lamp that never was bright enough and on the table he had a grey colored laptop with a mouse that was flashing different colored lights. It looked expensive. At the edge of the table there was a sketchbook and on top of it, a small pencil case, telling Jane his new friend was probably an artist. Or maybe the sketchbook had sketches of machines, since Dell used to be an engineer after all. Dell had a wardrobe that looked like something his mother used to own and he had a radio, that was sadly sitting on the floor, as the cord wasn't long enough for it to stand on the table. There were a few pictures on the wall next to a mirror. They appeared to be pictures of Dell and his friends, one picture clearly having a picture of a old couple, probably his parents. Jane looked around for a Polaroid camera, but was unable to find it in the dim bedroom.

Jane walked over to the bed that had not been made yet, and laid Dell down onto the mattress and just looked at him for a short moment. The man was almost immediately asleep, already taking a comfortable position and letting out a pleased sigh. Jane smiled. He couldn't leave just yet.

He decided to make this as easy as possible for Dell in the morning. He sat on the bed and put Dell's feet onto his lap and took his shoes out carefully, placing them onto the floor. He then got up and tucked the man in and searched for aspirin, painkillers or anything that could help with hangover. He found the medical cabinet in the bathroom and took out everything that would help you with headache. He even took plasters, not really knowing why. Jane took a mug from the kitchen and poured some water on it, before returning back to Dell's room. He laid everything on the table - the painkillers, the glass of water and the keys to the apartment he still had in his hands. Jane Doe stood next to the table, admiring his hard work for a moment. He then got the idea to leave a note for his friend, in case Dell woke up wondering how he got there. He took a piece of paper from the sketchbook and a pen, and started writing something quickly.

 

 

_Dell. I decided to take you home, as you seemed you've had enough fun for tonight. Don't worry, I paid for the taxi and made sure you got here safely. You didn't do anything embarrassing at the bar, so don't worry about it either._

_Here are some painkillers in case you have a hangover. I never have hangovers. Let's hope you won't throw up too much._

_I had a great time today, and I would love to get to know you even better. Here is my number._

 

_Jane._

 

 

Jane read his little note through multiple times, and even if he thought it sounded a little awkward somehow and he wanted to write it again, he decided to leave it as it was, as he could not find a trash can - that was under the table, right at his feet -. Jane quickly checked if he wrote his own phone number right before smiling and deciding he was ready to leave.

 

Jane Doe then looked over at Dell.

The florist almost looked like an angel when he slept. Dell looked so calm with that sleepy face of his, his eyes closed and his mouth slightly open, almost curved in a soft smile. Jane smiled back at him. He soon found himself walking closer to the man and he knelt next to the bed, facing right at Dell. He was still wearing his glasses, so Jane took them carefully off and placed them on the table, before turning his gaze back at the man. 

He felt weird in his stomach. His hands were sweaty, his cheeks burning red. His heart was almost as loud as a drum. His pants felt tight.

Jane closed his eyes and without much hesitation, he placed a kiss on top of Dell's forehead before leaving the dark room, closing the door quietly and tip toeing out of the apartment with a huge smile on his face. He admitted to himself that he had a crush.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> gayyyy


	5. Hydrangea

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hydrangea symbolizes heartfelt emotions. It can be used to express gratitude for being understood.

Jane Doe wakes up early in the morning with no sign of hangover. He puts on his best running shoes, tight pants and a white top that show off his body in the best way possible. He closes the zipper of his red jacket that he always wore and buried his head inside his cap. Jane took his phone and headphones, put some energetic music to play in his ears before he left his apartment, that had already become too big for him to live in.

He ran down the stairs. He first thought about his old roommate Merasmus, and how he had fallen and broken his bones in this very staircase. Jane had to admit it, he missed having a roommate. His apartment had become extremely messy in the course of few days. He had not washed the dishes, his dirty clothes were on the floor and after watching TV, the empty beer cans still laid on the table in front of the sofa. Dust was already starting to cover the corners, and now when no one was yelling at him about it, Jane didn't bother to clean. Even if it was fun to be alone and do whatever you wanted, Jane had started feeling lonely.

He took quick steps down the stairs in the beat of the music. Jane shook his head to forget about Merasmus, his friend who didn't even like him. The stairs and the building he lived in reminded Jane a lot of Dell. Dell Conagher also lived in a multi-storey building. This block of flats at least had an elevator, but Jane never used it. He preferred walking, or running, the stairs. Jane Doe smiled when he remember the last night, how he and Dell had climbed the stairs up together like a pair of crippled drunks. Jane left the building with a smile, only being able to think about Dell.

 

The sun had already risen past the horizon, but people still considered it being the sunrise as it was still so early for the sleepy heads of this small city. For Jane, the day had already started and it was time to get up. He ran on the streets towards the local park that was always empty. It wasn't the best place to be running, but there Jane was near nature and he could easily just run in circles around the pond of water and past the empty garden benches without anyone taking a look at him. Jane jogged carefully on the beat of the music, his body already sweating. Jane quickly swiped some sweat of his forehead and opened his jacket. He secretly wished Dell could see him now. Jane knew he looked good. He had worked hard to achieve this body, all the strong muscles of it and all the tight spots that looked just right. He could just imagine Dell's reaction when he would see his body for the first time. Jane imagined the situation in his head. For whatever reason, he would have to change his clothes and he would just undress in front of Dell like it was nothing ... Jane Doe suddenly laughed at himself. Jane was thinking dirty while jogging in public. He felt like a badass.

Suddenly, the music stopped and his ringtone started playing. Jane jumped a little and stopped running. His phone didn't work that well, so he took a moment to take the headphones off his ears and phone, before answering the call.

"Hey, Tavish", he said and started walking towards the park bench that was located just a few feet away from him.

"Did you do it?" was the very first thing his friend asked. Jane sat down slowly, feeling a little confused. "Did what?" he asked, trying to cool himself down. The sun was surprisingly hot at this time of the day. Tavish sighed loudly at the end of the line.

"Did ya bang him?" he asked. "What?" Jane almost yelled to the phone, not believing what he was hearing.

"Did. You. Two. Have. Sex", Tavish spelled out slowly, as loudly and clearly as he could. Apparently his two daughters weren't near as Tavish was able to say things like that. Jane remembered that time when Tavish cursed in front of his daughters, and how his wife was mad at him for weeks because of it.

"I understood what you meant!" Jane cursed. "And no, we didn't ... have sex", he said feeling embarrassed, looking around to make sure no one was hearing this conversation. Secretly Jane wished they would have, but it would have been too soon and at the wrong moment. It doesn't feel right to do it with someone who is not entirely sure what they are even doing. Jane was secretly a romantic person - he wanted it to be just right, not just some mindless meaningless drunk sex.

"Fuck's sake, Jane. Ae set yall up and everything, and ya chicken out?" Tavish complained. He didn't sound angry, just slightly disappointed. But there was a certain tone in his voice that still told Jane the man was just joking with him.

"Tavish, I don't wanna rush it!" Jane said, a little irritated. He rubbed his forehead again, leaning heavily against the bench.

"Jane, it has been -", the man started. 

"I know, it has been a LONG TIME since the last time. I know", Jane muttered into the phone. There was complete silence for a moment, and Jane took his sweet time to think carefully how he would explain the situation. He once again looked around to make sure no one was secretly listening to him, before Jane relaxed again and continued.

"I ... I really like him. I really do. And I don't want to rush and ruin it. Me and Dell seem to be doing good so far", Jane explained slowly, taking deep breaths after he was finished. The other end of the line was quiet for a long moment, and Jane waited patiently for his best friend to answer him.

"Yeh, I know ye like 'im. Sorry, lad", the cyclops said quietly. "But hey! Give me some credit! Without me, Dell and ya would not even know each other!"

Jane laughed. "I know. Thanks, Tavish", he said with a sweet tone, smiling. He could hear Tavish chuckling there for a few seconds, before he got suddenly quiet. Awkward silence.

 

"Are yeh sure ya didn't do it?"

"Yes, I'm sure", Jane said strictly.

"I dunno, you drank a lot too", Tavish insisted, clear playfulness in his voice.

"Good bye, Tavish", Jane laughed into the phone.

"But did ya actually do it? Ya two banged, right? Don't lie to me son!"

Jane hung up.

 

 

Jane stood up slowly, chuckling to himself. He moved his legs around for a moment to get the blood flowing and plugged his headphones back in. As he was just going to put the ear puds back into his ears and start running to the music again, his phone was ringing again. He cursed, almost ripped the headphones away once again as he answered the phone without checking who it was.

"For fuck's sake, Tavish, we didn't do it!" Jane said to the phone, half amused, half irritated. There was silence at the end of the line. Jane went quiet too, and for several seconds that felt like long hours, there was only silence. Then, Jane could hear someone inhale, like they were about to crack the best joke in this world.

"What did Tavish think we did? You didn't tell him we killed somebody, now did you?"

 

The voice belonged to Dell Conagher. Jane froze completely. How was Dell calling him, and this early too? But then he remembered. He left that note on Dell's desk, with his phone number on it. Jane stopped and slapped his hand against his head. He felt so embarrassed. How was it possible, that right now Dell is calling him and he completely blows it up?

"Dell! I uh, sorry, I thought it was Tavish calling me again", he tried to explain. Jane turned around and returned to the bench. His legs suddenly felt like jello, his heart was thumbing harder than it would if he was still running and Jane felt suddenly extra sweaty and nervous. Luckily, when he heard Dell laugh at the other end of the line, he found himself relaxing a little.

"It's OK. I just called to thank you for yesterday. I read the note, and it was very sweet of you to take care of me", Dell said. Just from the tone of his voice, Jane could tell he was smiling. Oh, how pure Dell's voice just was. Jane Doe wasn't sure why he liked Dell's voice so much. It always calmed him down and just listening to it made him forget about all of his troubles. Jane smiled gently, wanting to hear the man talk more.

"Well, I just did what was right", Jane mumbled out slowly, choosing his words very carefully. He didn't want to embarrass himself again. 

"Why are you up so early?" Jane decided to ask, just to keep the conversation going forward.

"Oh, I always wake up this early these days. To check on my beehives. I think I can soon start selling honey!" Dell said happily. Jane had no idea how beehives even worked, but he decided to not to ask, as he was sure the explanation would be too long for one phone call. Besides, he was more interested in the actual honey.

"That's great! I would love to taste it someday", Jane commented. He wondered if the honey would taste the same as it tasted in the store. He had heard that honey is actually quite bitter, but they add a shit ton of sugar in it to make it sweet. Of course, this was total bullshit, but Jane believed everything he was told.

"Hmm, you could come for a visit soon, if you want. You could be my little test subject", Conagher joked and laughed for a moment. Jane laughed with him, but still felt weirdly nervous. His stomach was slightly aching and his heart skipped a beat. Jane licked his lips.

"Uh, yeah, that would be great", he said, trying to calm himself down. Dell sounded happy, but he got quiet for a second and made a clear sound he was thinking about something. 

"How about Wednesday? We - we could go to a movie first and then stop by my shop? I heard they are showing this action film there that day ... I've heard it's good, and I thought ... It would be something you'd like", Dell Conagher suggested. Now he sounded shy, somehow. It took him a while to get those words out, but he said those words loud and clear without any fear. Jane could feel his heart jump against his chest. Suddenly he didn't feel nervous at all. He only felt excited.

"Yeah, I would love that", he said and smiled brightly.

"Oh, great! I, uh, will call you later. I'm going to check the exact time of the movie and everything", Dell said. "Cool", was the only thing Jane could say. His mind was going crazy and he felt like a teenage girl who was going to her first date with her crush. Jane couldn't stop smiling and he knew his cheeks were red just from the grin he kept making. 

"I'll talk to you later then! Bye", Dell said with a cheerful tone. Jane said his good byes to the man, before waiting for the florist to end the call. Jane looked at his phone with a smile for a moment, before he plugged his headphones back in, put another playlist on and continued his morning run.

This time he was listening something more romantic.

 

 

\--

 

 

Sooner than both Jane and Dell even realized, it's Wednesday, the day they are going to have their very first date. Or at least Jane saw it as a date. He had agreed to meet Dell in front of the cinema only ten minutes before the actual movie would start. It was the basic action thriller with some forced romance on it, but apparently the plot twist was so good everyone had ended up loving the movie that had started a bit dry. Jane wasn't that excited to see the actual movie, because all of his attention were at Dell and what to give him.

He saw it as a date. And not as a 'friend date', but a romantic one. He wanted to make it special. His first thought was to bring flowers, but then he remembered that Dell is a florist and he has probably seen enough flowers already. Then, Jane thought about bringing a small amount chocolate. But it would be too obvious. Jane wasn't sure if he was ready to open up about his feelings. At the end, he ended up offering to pay for the date and the snacks.

Jane showed up in front of the cinema 10 minutes early, and waited patiently for his friend to come. It was the early evening, the sun still shining through the clouds, the sky only slightly blue as the grey clouds were still covering most of the sky, predicting of a rainy night once again. The wind was slightly cold, and Jane was leaning against the wall while hugging himself in order to stay warm. Soon, only a minute before their meeting time, Dell showed up next to him and waved.

"Thank you for waiting for me", Dell Conaghed said with a sweet smile. Jane already loved how he talked. Instead of saying _'sorry for making you wait'_ , he thanked him for being patient. Dell seemed to be a very positive person and Jane knew he was going to like him even more.

"No problem", Jane spoke with a smile so big it turned his cheeks red. He was wearing his basic clothes, white tank top and dark brown pants, but Dell looked somehow different today. His shirt wasn't so brightly colored anymore, but instead it was a grey sweater, simple but nice. Under it, he had a normal light blue colored button shirt with its collars folded over the sweater. Dell seemed to be acting shy, just a little bit. His cheeks were clearly red and he had an innocent smile over his face. He left lifting his glasses and sometimes he couldn't even look at Jane. It was too cute to watch.

 

Both of them turned and entered the small cinema, first buying for their tickets and choosing the best seats for them. Then they went to the official snack corner, that offered a few bags of candy, pop corn and different kind of drinks. Dell looked at them for a while silently, as Jane took one big plastic cup and poured some Coca Cola inside of it from the machine. He spilled a little bit of his drink as he had become too greedy and tried to fill the cup completely, but he just swiped the mess with the sleeve of his jacket.

"What do you want to drink and eat? I can pay", Jane said as he put the cover over his cup and poked a straw through it. He took a quick sip from his drink, to make sure he wouldn't spill it another time.

"I don't think I'll take anything", Dell muttered out silently. Jane turned around and looked over at his friend. Dell suddenly looked embarrassed. His toes were touching each other, he was pulling his sleeves down and Dell couldn't look Jane directly into his eyes. Something was clearly wrong.

"Why not?"

It took a while before Dell was able to say anything. He looked around, like he was afraid to be heard, before coming a little closer to Jane.

"Well, I've ... gained a little weight", he whispered over at Jane as quietly as he could. Jane raised his eyebrows.

"So?"

"So...!" Dell said, frustrated but more ashamed. "I don't wanna look bad", he mumbled out quietly, rubbing the back of his neck as he looked down at his feet. Jane just looked at Dell. The man he saw as the epitome of positive thoughts was actually a little insecure. Jane couldn't understand why. Was it because Jane was so fit compared to him? Was it because society still didn't like men who were slightly chubby? Jane didn't understand it, he didn't understand much in the first place. In his eyes, Dell Conagher was the most handsome man he had ever met. Who wouldn't like him?

"There's nothing wrong for being your size, Dell", Jane started and reached for two popcorn boxes and put them on the table. Few pop corns jumped over on the counter, dipping themselves on the wet spot. Jane just couldn't stop making a mess. Dell lifted his face up. "You think so?" he asked, lifting his glasses a little higher.

"I know so. You look very handsome, Dell. Don't be ashamed of it", Jane blurted out without feeling afraid of his own words. Dell's eyes suddenly sparkled and he smiled. He was coming in for a hug, but stopped and just tapped Jane on the shoulder. "Thank you, Jane. That - that means a lot", he said with a bright smile. Jane could feel butterflies in his stomach.

"That's what I'm talking about! Now, what do you want to drink?" Jane grabbed another plastic cup and looked over at Dell. The florist laughed and looked at the four different flavors.

 

"I want to taste that cherry flavored soda."

"Too bad they don't sell beer here."

 

 

 

Soon the two men entered the movie hall and took their seats. Dell took of his jacket before sitting down with his popcorn and soda. Jane sat next to him, put the popcorn box between his legs and his drink on the cup holder on his left side. Few more people came in before the lights turned dark and they started playing commercials and trailers. Jane hated the time just before the movie. They would always play two kinds of trailers - trailers for movies everyone wants to see, and trailers for movies no one wants to see. And all of the commercials were just bad, often people trying to sell their own underwear or something. But Jane still watched them to keep himself entertained.

"Hey, Jane", Dell whispered.

"Yeah?"

"Thank you."

Jane turned his gaze away from the big screen and looked at Dell silently for a moment. The light from the screen illuminated his face just perfectly, the flashing colorful lights making the florist look like a piece of art. How was he so beautiful?

"For what?" Jane asked after a moment of silence.

"For coming here with me. I don't often hang out, or anything, but with you this feels so comfortable. I'm glad to have you as a friend", Dell explained. He then chuckled. "Oh god, that was so sappy", he laughed. But Jane didn't care. He just smiled, because Dell already considered him as a friend, and that was already enough.

"I'm glad to have you as a friend too", Jane repeated, but with a higher pitched voice. He then smacked his lips together, pretending like he was going to kiss Dell as he leaned closer. Dell started giggling and couldn't stop. "Fuck you", he said playfully and threw popcorn at Jane.

They heard someone telling them to be quiet, and after showing the middle finger, they both turned silent and watched the film.

 

 

The movie started quite dry, like everyone had said. The story was quite simple - a man is searching for his brother with his friend and they end up seeing something they should not have. A lot of action happened that was not necessary, but it was still enjoyable. At the end the man looking for his sibling realizes that his brother is actually his friend, who has been with him the whole time. It wasn't the best of the movies, but it had the action and such good jokes that people actually laughed in the theater. When the end credits started rolling, all of their popcorn was gone and their drinks completely empty. Jane got up from his seat and picked up all their trash like a gentleman.

"Oh, thank you", Dell said as he put his jacket on, still sitting on his seat. Jane held their empty popcorn boxes in his other hand, the plastic cups inside them, and offered his other hand to Dell as to help him up. Dell thanked him again and grabbed Jane's hand, helping himself stand up.

In a split second, Jane noticed two things about Dell's right hand that didn't seem quite right.

One, he was wearing a glove over it. Not the usual yellow glove he always had, but a black glove made out of leather. His other hand didn't have a glove, it never did.

Two, it didn't feel human.

"Let's go", Dell said with a happy tone and they left the building, throwing the trash into the trashcans at the door.

 

 

As they stepped out, it was a chilly night. It wasn't too dark yet, but the streets were already becoming empty, only a few cars passing by them. The ground was slightly wet and there was that faint smell of the sea in the air, telling them it had rained while they were watching a movie. The sun was setting, the sky painted with a soft tone of pink and orange mixed together. The walk from the movie theatre was very short, when the two of them talked to each other. The time went past fast when they were talking to each other, every now and then cracking jokes and laughing. Even if it was clear they were enjoying themselves, Jane could not help but worry about Dell. He wasn't sure if he had been dreaming when he held Dell's hand. Was he actually a machine, or did Jane just imagine things? He also noticed that Dell was acting different, even if they were having such a good time. Dell Conagher seemed shy. Like a little school girl. It was clear as day. Whenever he stopped laughing, he kept smiling and looked at Jane with that weird light in his eyes, before shyly looking away. If Dell had long hair, he would be pulling his hair behind his ear all the time. Dell's actions always made Jane blush, and he had to come up with a story to tell so no awkward silence would replace their pure laughter.

As they reached the door of the flower shop, Dell played with the keys on the door for a moment, before finally swinging the right key inside and slamming the door open. They stepped inside the store without putting any lights on and locking the door behind them. 

"Watch out for the flowers", Conagher warned and looked behind him, making sure Jane wouldn't accidentally walk over them or anything. "I'm trying, but it's dark here", Jane complained.

"We don't need lights, it's not that dark. It's also good for the environment", Dell told him. As Jane was moving too slow, Dell walked over to him and took his hand into his own and guided Jane through his little shop behind his counter. Jane sat down on the chair that was there and looked around. He suddenly felt like he owned the place, sitting in that very wooden chair. "Wait there", Dell almost ordered and disappeared into the backroom. Jane listened carefully and heard the man rustling something for a moment, before he returned with another chair and a jar of honey. The jar was empty with no labels or company names on it, so Jane guessed Dell had not come up with a name for his product yet. Calling it 'just honey' would be a bit boring. Dell placed the chair next to Jane, so close that when he sat down, their knees were touching. He placed the jar of honey on the table and then opened a drawer, pulling out a small bag of plastic spoons. 

"How convenient", Jane noted. "I always forget to bring a spoon here, so I decided to just have a bag of them here", Dell tried to explain himself as he took two plastic spoons out for the both of them, putting the bag back into the drawer.

"Where do you need so many spoons?"

"To eat noodles and stuff."

"Dell, why do you eat noodles with a spoon?"

"Shut the fuck up."

"All those plastic spoons aren't good for the environment, you know."

"I'm going to kill you."

 

Their conversation had been serious the whole way through, but now both of them ended up laughing so hard they almost fell from their seats. They cried so hard that Dell even teared up a little. Jane did his best to calm down and stop banging his hand against the counter, so he could take a look at Dell at least for a second. He opened his eyes and just loved the sight of the florist laughing. Dell continued laughing even when Jane Doe had already calmed down, wiping off tears and holding his hand over his stomach. Jane swore he was already in love. He loved how they fit together so well, how they understood each other's humor so fast and how well they got along. He also loved to make Dell laugh - his smile was cute, his face even more handsome when his cheeks were slightly red. And god, Jane loved how Dell's small round tummy kept jumping up and down whenever he laughed -

Jane realized he was staring, now right into Dell's eyes. The other had stopped laughing too and had first just smiled at Jane, but when he had realized Jane was just staring, his face had went serious. Jane coughed a few times and broke the eye contact, trying to recollect himself. Dell seemed to do the same - his hand traveled over his short hair and he bit his lip, clearly a little nervous.

"Okay so, let's taste this", the florist mumbled out and opened the small jar of honey easily with his right hand. "I haven't put anything into it, so it's pure honey. Don't be surprised if it doesn't taste the same as in the supermarket", Dell explained to his friend, who leaned in closer to inspect the honey and it's form. It was like every other kind of honey he had seen - golden yellow, slimy looking, delicious.

"So, it's normal bee-butt honey?" Jane asked. Dell looked at him.

"Jane, honey is not bee shit."

"I know that."

More giggles came out of them. As the jar was open, both of them dipped their white plastic spoons inside of it and tasted it like professionals. For a moment there was complete silence as they took their time to inspect the flavor. It was sweet, almost sickenly sweet. And somehow, kind of sticky. Dell hummed in approval and Jane smacked his lips a couple of times, before burying his spoon back into the jar.

"You like it?" Dell asked as he watched Jane bring another spoonful of honey into his mouth. "Yes, I love honey", Jane commented, and took a third taste of the honey. Dell laughed. "I'm glad."

 

Dell kept eating the honey with Jane and silence came between them again. Jane didn't mind silence - for a moment, it actually felt comforting and nice. But his brain could not stop thinking about one thing - Dell's right hand. When Jane had grabbed it, it had felt hard like it was made out of metal. Jane had also noticed how Dell Conagher was always wearing a glove in his right hand, but never on his left hand. The answer was clear as day, but Jane wanted to be sure what laid under that piece of fabric.

"Dell, there is something, uh, I'd like to ask", Jane started and laid his plastic spoon down. 

"What is it?" Dell asked and took one more spoonful of honey before stopping and laying his spoon down on the table. Jane bit his lip and moved the spoon around his fingers, doing small tricks with it. 

"What's wrong with your right hand?"

 

 

The question didn't come out as Jane had hoped it would. He had ended up sounding a bit rude and his staring didn't make the situation any better. Jane just watched as Dell's face went pale like he had seen a ghost. Then, Conagher slowly closed his eyes and sighed. "I knew you noticed", he mumbled out slowly. Dell reached for his right hand and slowly took off the glove, struggling to get it off as the glove got stuck on his prosthetic parts. Jane waited patiently for the tight glove to come off, and when he did, he saw something non-human.

Dell lifted his right hand up in front of his own face and inspected it, moving it around. 

"It's not the usual prosthetic arm, as you can see", Dell explained. The prosthetic hand had a few tiny buttons and wires in it and it was made out of pure metal. Jane just stared at it. He was a soldier, or at least used to be, and he had seen men who had lost their limbs to honor their country. But their prosthetic parts were nothing like this one. This one looked like a strong one, and it seemed to be completely attached to Dell's skin, like you couldn't even take it off. Maybe Jane was wrong. But the arm made Dell look like an android. It looked like a part of him that always had been there.

"I build it myself", Dell mumbled and laid his hand down over his thigh, feeling ashamed of it. He was sure Jane saw him in a different light. And he did. 

Jane loved it.

"You build this? Wow", the man said and took Dell's right hand into his own, watching it closely. Jane was wearing a smile, like he was a school boy excited to get a new toy. He moved Dell's hand around, moving his own fingertips over the metallic parts so gently, that Dell couldn't help but just blush from it. He secretly wished Jane would touch him like that somewhere else. Dell shook his head and bit his lip to regain his senses.

"It's amazing", Jane commented and lifted his face up, smiling at Dell. But then, Jane's smile disappeared and he looked down at Dell's hand again. "May I ask what happened?" he asked, his tone so careful and almost loving, if Dell dared to admit. The florist swallowed.

"When I was an engineer, I was trying to build this one machine. It ended up being a failure as it cut off my arm off like it was paper", Dell explained. Both of them were looking at his prosthetic hand, inspecting it like it was the most beautiful thing in this universe.

"I keep it hidden, because in the past people were frightened by it", Dell chuckled, but it was clear he was hurt by it. Jane noticed this of course, and panicked a little. "I don't think it looks bad at all!" he almost shouted, trying to make his friend to feel better. Jane grabbed Dell's right hand with both of his own, holding it tightly. Dell looked up at him, uncertainty in his eyes.

"I think it's beautiful."

 

Dell went completely red from that, but he gave the man a genuine smile, almost wanting to tear up. "Thank you", was the only thing Dell could say, but there was so much more he wished to say. He wished to say how grateful he was to have met a man like Jane, how happy he was to have him as a friend, how sweet he thought Jane was ... But he didn't have the nerve.

"It's great to have somebody who understands", Dell said and moved his left hand over Jane's hands. Now their hands were a big pile of hands, holding each other tightly.

"I understand. I've ... had a hard time accepting myself too", Jane Doe tried to explain as carefully as possible. "Really?" Dell asked. He took his hands away and leaned against the counter and Jane's hands felt suddenly empty. It felt like he just missed something that truly belonged to him. Jane wanted to grab Dell's hands again, both the human and robotic one, and just hold them for hours. But now it was a bad time. Jane scratched the back of his head for a second, ruffling his short brown hair.

"Yeah, I uh, have scars", Jane said, trying to avoid the fact he had a hard time accepting himself as a gay person. But he couldn't deny his feelings towards Dell - he was sure he was already deeply in love with him.

"Oh yes, your scars", Dell commented so quietly that you could barely hear it. Suddenly the florist inches closer and moved his left hand closer to Jane's face and soon he was moving his thumb over Jane's eyebrow. There was a small scar that went over his brow, and slightly over his eye too. It was almost invisible, but if you looked hard enough, you could see it. Jane went completely still. Dell was so close, inspecting his face and Jane could not help but just watch the florist and his facial features. God, his lips looked soft. Jane just wanted to lean in and kiss him, but he suddenly felt so shy. He couldn't even move.

"I have another scar, right here", Jane mumbled quietly and turned his face slightly to the right to reveal a tiny mark in his jaw, close to his ear. "Oh, I see it", Dell said, or almost whispered, as he moved to inspect that scar. It was so faint it almost wasn't even there, but it was there for Dell to see. Only for him to inspect it this closely.

"Oh, you have a scar here too", Dell noticed and turned Jane's face towards him. Dell's thumb moved over Jane's bottom lip and Jane opened his mouth just a little. There was a small scar going over his lower lip and Dell slowly swiped his thumb over it, just feeling it. 

Then, Dell lifted his face and looked at Jane directly into his eyes. Jane did the same.

They just gazed into each other's eyes like they were in a trance, unable to look away. Both of their hearts started to beat much faster, their cheeks turning red and hands sweating uncomfortably. Everything seemed just perfect - it was silent, the evening sky was so beautiful outside, nothing was bothering them as they were in the dark, surrounded by sweet scented flowers.

At this point, Jane would lean in and kiss Dell.

But both of them were too shy.

 

 

Dell was the first one who moved away. He drew his hands away from Jane and looked outside, like he was admiring the sky. Jane rubbed the back of his neck and coughed. Suddenly, the magical moment was gone and the space between them was just awkward. Jane tried to say something, but nothing came out of his mouth. He couldn't stop thinking about those few seconds he just had with Dell. He wanted to lock eyes with him again, hold his hands again .. Jane wanted to kiss Dell so badly, he was losing his breath.

"Uh", Dell started. He scratched his head and then pointed at the jar of honey that still stood open on the counter. "You want more?" he asked. "Sure", Jane was able to burst out and he reached for his spoon. But suddenly, Dell's left hand reached for the jar and he dipped his own fingers in there. Jane just watched it happen, trying to hold back his laughter. Dell froze and just looked at his hand.

"What the fuck", Conagher said with a serious face and pulled his fingers out. Three of his fingers that had fit inside the jar were now covered in that golden jam, sticky against each other. Jane laughed out loud, banging his hand against the table.

"Sorry, I have no idea what I was thinking", Dell giggled out. It was clear he was as overwhelmed from their romantic moment as Jane was. He looked around desperately while holding his left hand over the jar, so no honey would drop on the counter. "Where is my rag?" he muttered quietly to himself, but was unable to find any towels, scarfs, paper or anything that could clean up the mess in his hand. Jane calmed down and watched Dell's hand quietly. One idea came into his mind, as he had no paper with him either. And his idea was crazy. But after the moment they had, Jane was giving it another shot.

"I got it", he mumbled and grabbed Dell's wrist.

He brought Dell's sticky fingers towards his own face, making sure no mess were made on the counter, and as a drop of honey started falling down from his fingers towards the floor, Jane moved his mouth closer and took that drop into his mouth before it fell down to the floor. Then, Jane moved closer to the actual fingers, parted them carefully and took Dell's index finger into his mouth. Dell completely freaked out. He silently gasped for air, his face and even the tip of his ears turned red and something already twitched in his pants. He silently watched as Jane sucked his finger, his eyes closed, his expression so ... calm, but demanding. So attractive. Dell moved his right hand into a tight fist, his toes curling inside his shoes. As his index finger was clean, Jane took it out of his mouth with a soft 'pop' and then took his middle finger in without even saying anything. Dell's mouth opened slightly as Jane sucked his finger, and when his tongue moved over it to lick the honey away, Dell could feel chills run up his spine. He shivered strongly and soon pulled his knees together to hide the obvious fact he was growing harder in his pants. As Jane took the final finger into his mouth and licked it clean, he carefully bit down onto the part where married people would put their ring and Dell let out a silent moan. Jane opened his eyes and locked eyes again with Dell, his finger still inside his mouth. Jane's gaze looked so dangerous, so strong and lustful. Dell completely melted from the sight and he breathed heavily. 

It was then when Jane suddenly chickened out. He had felt so naughty doing that cleaning to Dell and while he was still holding Dell's finger inside his mouth, he had looked the other man straight into his eyes with that look that was full of lust. He had even dared to bite Dell. But suddenly Jane felt regret over the actions he had done. He had went a bit too far, taking the situation to the sexual side and he was just not ready to do it. 

Jane pulled Dell's finger out of his mouth and stood up quickly. Dell watched him with wide eyes, confused and lost.

"I should get going", Jane muttered quietly and walked past Dell, heading towards the door. "O-oh, okay", was the only thing the florist was able to mutter out. Jane stopped in the middle of the store and turned around, looking at Dell deep into his eyes. He felt so bad, but Jane was not yet ready to do anything like that with Dell. Even if he wanted to.

"I - I had a great time, Dell", Jane Doe said with a bright smile. "See you on Friday?" he asked. Dell just nodded to him, unable to say anything. Jane quickly gave him a nod back, then waved as he turned around and left the store, almost running.

 

 

Dell had never been so confused and lost. He just sat there for minutes, holding his left hand over his chest, living through that moment in his mind over and over again. Trying to understand what had just happened. Trying to understand where it all went wrong.

He felt heartbroken. Sad. But there was something else that kept him away from crying.

His pants were extremely tight.

With no shame, Dell opened the zipper of his pants and lowered them enough for him to be able to reach his hard member. When his left hand wrapped around his shaft, he shivered, as his fingers were still slightly sticky from the honey and Jane's saliva. Dell started stroking himself, leaning against the table and closing his eyes shut.

He relived that moment again, when he had touched Jane's face, moving his hand over the scars that looked so beautiful to his eyes. Dell wished he had just leaned in and kissed Jane. Dell had no idea what was going on with his mind. He didn't know he was like _this_. He didn't know he actually liked men. But he could not help himself. He found Jane so bloody attractive. And Jane wasn't just beautiful, he was also the best kind of person Dell had met. He had never met such a good friend who made him laugh that much. He had never met someone who cheered him up so easily. He had never met someone who stole his heart just like that.

Dell let out a silent moan and stroked fasted.

Did he have a crush on him? Dell swore he was going crazy. His mind was a mess, only thinking about Jane and everything that had just happened. His heart was beating like a drum, his body already shaking because he was so needy for Jane. Suddenly, there was only lust pumping through his veins, and Dell dared to let out another loud moan. 

He relived the moment again, when Jane had sucked on his fingers. He had no idea why he had done that, but it had completely messed the man up. And the look Jane had given him ... God, it had made Dell just want to surrender and go down on his knees.

Dell imagined Jane doing those same moments to his cock instead of his fingers. His strokes became much faster. His legs were tapping against the floor so strongly. 

Dell imagined Jane sucking his cock roughly, then opening his eyes and giving him that same look. And when Dell saw those blue eyes piercing into his soul again, he was suddenly coming over his hand, moaning so much that he could not hold it back. It was one of the best orgasms he had ever had. It lasted more than just a short moment and it made his stomach ache, his legs shake even harder. Dell collapsed on the counter, hiding his face behind his hand as his hand slowed down, until his meat became too sensitive to even touch.

He caught his breath for a moment, huffing and puffing.

 

Now he really needed that towel.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Look at me, being productive and writing this story. It wasn't meant to be this gay already, I swear. But I'm sure you all don't mind. Thank you for the comments by the way, they really made me feel inspired to write more in such a short notice !


	6. Carnation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Carnation symbolizes pride and beauty. A red carnation especially symbolizes love, pride and admiration.

Friday came and both Jane and Dell met each other in the bar. But their friendship that had bloomed into a beautiful flower in such short notice was now dying, desperately in need for water to keep it alive. After what had happened two days ago in the flower shop had created an awkward space between them. Jane and Dell both could not look at each other, of if they did, they looked at each other only for a second before they had to turn their eyes away. The next Friday wasn't any better. They didn't talk to each other, completely ignoring the other one was even there. Their group of friends had noticed this - Tavish was constantly trying to come up with things to talk about but both of his friends gave short answers, before returning to drinking their drinks silently. 

After two nights at the bar of watching two men who were meant to be together ignoring each other, Tavish decided to step in. After all, he was the one who got those two going on, and he couldn't just watch it crumble into pieces. He had also lost a bet and he wasn't planning on losing again.

When Dell had finally left the bar, looking like he had lost everything in his life, Tavish moved over to Jane. The man was a mess - he was on his third drink, dark eye bags under his eyes and a defeated expression. He was heavily leaning over the table, looking over into the nothingness. Jane was clearly sulking about something, and that something was Dell. Tavish looked around. They were the only ones left, expect for the few people in the back who kept drinking quietly in their own space. 

"Jane", Tavish called out to his friend, laying his strong hand over Jane's, trying to get his attention. Jane Doe let out a small hum as an answer, before taking another sip from his glass.

"Jane, wot the hell is goin' on? Ya gotta tell me!" the Scottish man almost yelled into Jane's ear, but his friend did not budge. Tavish put his hand onto his shoulder and shook the man a little. Finally, Jane turned his face towards his friend and swallowed heavily.

"I fucked up, that's what", Jane said in defeat, shaking his head. "Now, now, ae don't believe that", Tavish insisted and rubbed the man's shoulder to comfort him. "What happened?"

Jane swallowed heavily. "We had a few ... moments between us, but I think I scared Dell away", he started and looked down at his drink that was almost gone.

"I think I scared myself."

 

Tavish couldn't believe what he was hearing. Jane was speaking like he was a complete different person. Jane was never sad like this, and more importantly he was never, ever scared. It could have been the alcohol that made him like this, but Tavish decided to dig in a little deeper to truly understand how bad things had gotten.

Jane slowly told everything to Tavish and where things had turned heated. He told about the movie date and about Dell's prosthetic hand that he adored for some reason. Then, he went deeper into the details when he told about the honey tasting. Tavish was smiling when Jane told about the face touching, how Dell Conagher had inspected his scars on his face before they locked eyes and almost kissed ... but both of them were too afraid to make the first move. For a moment Tavish looked disappointed but his face turned brighter when Jane told what had happened next.

It was silly for Dell to suddenly dip his fingers into that honey. It had been a clear sign his mind was a mess and that he couldn't properly think, which seemed to be a good thing. But everything that happened afterwards made both Dell and Jane completely out of their minds.

Tavish was almost jumping up and down when he heard about Jane's actions. How he had licked Dell's fingers clean from the honey almost in a sexual way, even daring to bite a little. Things could have ended up well that night, but Jane had chickened out and ran away.

"Why the hell would ya run?" Tavish said, leaning closer to his friend whose head was hanging low. Tavish secretly wanted to hit Jane in the back of his head, but decided to hold his arm down.

"I don't know, I got scared!" Jane raised his voice and slammed his drink loudly against the table. Tavish rubbed his friend's shoulder again, but Jane pushed his hand away. "Things are now just so awkward between me and Dell, and I don't know how to come forward about it! I'm such a sissy!" he almost whimpered, holding back tears. Jane took the last sip of his drink before putting down his empty glass and burying his face into his hands. 

_Drunk as hell_ , Tavish thought to himself. But he was still sure Jane was speaking from his heart, even if the things he said where so unnatural of him to say. Tavish thought for a while, letting Jane catch his breath before he would ask questions again.

"So, ya like Dell?" Tavish asked. Jane turned his face towards him.

"Like him? Tavish, I think I might even lov-"

Jane closed his mouth and looked down at his empty drink again, embarrassed. His cheeks were glowing red and suddenly his body was tense. Tavish grinned happily and tapped Jane in the back a couple of times.

"I knew it! Ae am not givin' up on ya two! Jane, I'll set ya up with Dell again", Tavish promised and playfully hugged his friend. "How?" Jane asked with a tired voice.

"Oh, leave dat to me."

 

\--

 

Soon it was Tuesday, and Tavish and Dell had agreed to meet each other in order to hang out. Dell had closed his shop a little earlier than usually just to be with his friend, who claimed this day would be very important. Even if Dell thought that whatever his friend was planning would not be as important as his job, he had still agreed to go out. He needed to get his mind off of things and the more time he spend in his own flower shop, the more he thought about what had happened between him and Jane. His heart still fluttered from the thought of it, making Dell Conagher smile and blush like a horny teenager. But what had happened after Jane had left still kept bothering Dell. He wasn't sure if he was ashamed that he had touched himself like that. Dell just had no idea if Jane saw him the way he saw him. He wondered if Jane had touched himself too that night.

Tavish and Dell had visited a simple grocery store to get some drinks, before they were heading towards the football field that was located near a school. Dell asked no questions, because he knew that when Tavish was planning something, he said nothing at all. So Dell simply followed him without saying a word.

It was an extremely hot day. The sky was brightly blue with barely any clouds and the sun was burning high up in the sky, leaving no room for shadows. Everyone was outside enjoying the summer breeze and soon Dell found himself surrounded with people as they reached the football field. 

"What's going on here?" Dell asked.

"It's a football game today. In a small town like dis one, events like dis gets everybody excited", Tavish explained. They walked next to the row of seats that was already full of people wearing hats and sunglasses, enjoying their cold drinks and snacks. Dell swiped some sweat off his forehead and took a long sip from his water bottle. It was almost empty. Dell looked over to the football field and saw a large amount of young lads dressed up in their protective gear, from helmets all the way to the knee pads. One group was wearing bright red jerseys, while the other one was wearing yellow. They were all warming up in their own ways - some of them jumping and jogging in one place, some of them stretching. Dell saw some reds talking to the other team, almost pushing each other already. Luckily a coach walked up to them and stopped their bickering. 

 

Suddenly, Tavish grabbed the florist by his arm and started pulling him with him. "I'm coming, I'm coming", Dell complained, and at the same time he was walking he drank the last of his water and drew the bottle into the trashcan they passed.

"Jane!"

Dell lifted his face up and saw Jane talking to some other man. Jane turned around quickly when he heard someone calling his name and for a moment he smiled and waved. But then their eyes met and when Jane realized Tavish had brought Dell with him, he froze. Tavish pulled Dell with him and stopped in front of the football coach with a cheeky smile. Dell couldn't help but look at Jane almost helplessly. He was wearing his usual gear - a red cap, a red jacket, white tank top and a whistle hanging from his neck. He had a football placed between his hip and hand and his shoelace was open, but Dell was too shy to mention about it.

"It's a warm day, eh?" Tavish commented with a bright smile and looked over at Dell, smiling even more when he realized Dell was blushing. "Yeah, it sure is", Jane commented and licked his lips. He couldn't get his eyes off Dell, who looked even handsome under the bright summer shine. He was wearing a glove over his prosthetic hand as always and today he was wearing a bright yellow shirt with a small print of a bee over his chest. Adorable.

"Oi Dell, ae am goin' to get us some snacks!" the Scottish man said and quickly left without saying another word. 

 

Dell turned over to Jane and gave him an awkward smile. Jane smiled back at him, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly.

"So", Dell Conagher said quietly. "So", Jane muttered too, looking down at his feet with a smile.

"It's been a while since the last time we talked", Conagher finally said and looked straight at Jane. He tried to show the man he felt bad that they didn't talk anymore, and that he still wished to be his friend. It was a lie, obviously. Dell was yearning to be so much more than a friend with Jane, but he had no idea how to approach the idea. Hell, he had no idea how to do anything related to love. Dell had never before been with a man. He didn't know he was gay. But ever since Jane stepped into the picture, he could not stop thinking about him. And Dell didn't know how long he could deny his feelings towards him.

"Yeah, it has been a while", Jane said slowly and swallowed. He looked a little lost somehow, like he wasn't sure how to act in a situation like this. Dell took a deep breath and took a step closer.

"Jane, I ... whatever happened between us, I just want you to know that I don't hate you", Dell Conagher tried to explain without showing too much of his own feelings. Jane lifted one of his eyebrows at him, tilting his head to the side almost playfully.

"What I mean is that I still wish we talked. Like before. I don't want things to be this awkward between us", Dell spat out, waving his hands around nervously. 

Jane looked at the man, his mouth slightly open and his eyes wide open. Dell loved Jane's eyes and if they weren't just friends, he would look deep into those blue orbs until he would fall asleep. "Dell...", Jane Doe said, his voice almost as silent as a whisper, as the coach tried to find the perfect words to say.

But he was too late.

Tavish joined them again, holding a box of fries covered in ketchup in his left hand and a soda can in his other one. He was smiling brightly and stepped between them with so much energy that the conversation between Jane and Dell was forever shut.

"Ya don't mind ketchup do ya?" Tavish asked, moving the fries a little closer to Dell's face. The florist just shook his head, then looked at Jane with a _'sorry'_ written all over his face. Jane gave him a comforting smile, as to say _'it's okay'_.

Tavish looked silently at the two men, realizing he might have stepped in at the wrong moment. Or he stepped in just when it was needed. "Well, the match is startin' soon, let's go to our seats", the Scottish man said and started heading towards the two empty seats right next to the wooden stairs. Dell looked at Jane and quickly said "It was great to see you", before going after his friend. Jane couldn't even answer back, as he just waved and watched his crush leave.

 

The game starts. It's noisy, the players are running across the field and literally jumping on top of each other, wrestling like wild bears. Half of the city is grouped up over the seats, encouraging their favorite team with loud shouts, sometimes even throwing their trash towards the field. The red team scores. Jane, their coach, is throwing his fist in the air to show how pleased he is. The yellow team's coach is shouting at his team, even taking one player out of the field and changing it to another one. Dell is not even watching the match that carefully. His eyes are on Jane, or on the back of his head actually. He decides to look around the crowd to see if there are any familiar faces. It's hard to see, as everyone is wearing a hat and a pair of sunglasses, but Dell does see a familiar face cheering on for someone. It was a young woman Dell once saw in the coffee shop, her black hair still in a messy bun and her glasses only slightly crooked over her nose. Her name was Pauling, if Dell had inspected the name plate clearly enough. Dell focused on the game for a while, and recognized one small figure in the field as Jeremy. He has the ball in his hands and he runs, but two guys from the yellow team jump on top of him and crush the skinny man like peanuts. The whistle blows and Pauling stands up, shouting something loudly over the cloud. Dell smiles at that.

It's burning hot. Dell keeps swiping sweat off of his body, but nothing seems to work. He is thirsty, but at the same time he doesn't want to put anything into his mouth. Tavish keeps offering fries to him, but Dell always refuses like he was about to throw up his last meal. Dell rubs his forehead. He can't understand what is suddenly happening to his body. He then looks around. Everyone is wearing hats and revealing clothing, while he on the other hand is still covering as much of his body as he can, and his head is completely exposed to the sun. Even if he is sitting down, his knees feel weak. 

Dell looks over at Jane and doesn't turn his gaze away from the man. He wants to smile, but he finds himself too exhausted to do that. He secretly admires Jane's body, wondering how he isn't even breaking a sweat under this summer heat. Jane's shoulders are wide, his back clearly muscular and his waist tiny. He is build like a god. 

Suddenly, Jane turns around and meets eyes with Dell. And for a moment, time seems to stop or at least slow down around them. Jane Doe is suddenly ignoring the game he is supposed to be watching at all times, and he is only focused at Dell. He never breaks the eye contact, he is barely blinking or even moving. All of Jane's attention is completely focused on Dell.

The crowd is loud around them. It's hot and the air feels pressuring. Everything that is happening feels like it is too much to take in. 

Dell wants to leave right now.

He gets up as quickly as possible and starts walking down the stairs slowly, Jane still watching him carefully. Suddenly, Dell fees weak. He felt extremely dizzy, his vision darkened and lightheadedness took over him as he still walked the stairs down, trying to get away. It felt like he was depriving from all the oxygen, unable to breathe properly. He took heavy breaths but it still felt like he was running out of air. 

And then Dell completely lost it and fell down at the bottom of the stairs.

Jane starts sprinting towards Dell the moment he was falling down. He jumps over the railing and kneels down next to Dell, moving the florist's body so he was laying on his back. Jane blows into his whistle long and hard and then waves his hand somewhere in the crowd, until a large figure stands up and heads towards them. 10 seconds pass and Jane is checking Dell's pulse. It's weak and Dell is not yet waking up. Jane carefully raises Dell's legs, placing himself between them as he tries to wake the man up. The game stops. Everything stops. And when Dell is still unconscious, he is quickly taken to the hospital.

 

\--

 

Dell Conagher slowly wakes up. His body is sweaty, but he doesn't feel too hot. He feels weak, like he hasn't eaten in days. Dell grunts and blinks for a moment before he realizes where he is and what had happened. He looks to his left and sees a medical cart with a few drawers open. Dell realizes he is laying on a hospital bed. He looks down at his body and luckily doesn't see anything attached into his veins. He then hears soft talking. Two familiar voices talking to each other.

Dell looks to his right side and sees someone sitting in a chair next to a large table. Dell first sees his friend Ludwig, his dark hair combed neatly, tie loose and sleeves pulled up. He is sitting on a chair with small wheels, a stethoscope in his hands. He was pressing the diaphragm over the other man's heart, listening carefully. Dell blinked slowly and then focused on the other person in the room. 

It was Jane. His red coat and shirt where laid on the back of the chair, leaving the man completely shirtless. Dell swallowed and when he felt like he was able to think properly, he slowly sat up and inspected the two men. Ludwig notices him moving and moves the diaphragm away from Jane and puts down his stethoscope on the table. "You're finally awake. We got a little worried", Ludwig said and took out some papers and started writing notes in them, leaving Dell wondering if the doctor was writing about him or Jane. Speaking of Jane, when he realized the florist was awake he turned around in his chair and met eyes with the florist. He smiled, like he was glad Dell was alright.

"How did I get here?" Dell Conagher asked, rubbing the back of his head.

"Doctor's little helper, Mikhail, was in the audience. He carried you to his car and drove us here", Jane explained and turned to look at Ludwig. The doctor gave a nod. "Mikhail is always in the audience and he brings patients here faster than a normal ambulance. He is a great help", Ludwig explained and laid down his pen next to the papers before turning towards his computer's monitor, clicking and writing something.

Dell closed his eyes for a moment and rubbed his forehead. He almost playfully moved his legs around to get the blood flowing, curling his toes to make sure that he would be able to stand up soon.

 

"You okay?"

Dell moved his eyes up and saw Jane standing up and taking a few steps closer to the medical bed, his white tank top in his hands. Dell's face turned red the moment he saw the full picture right in front of his eyes. Jane's muscular body was right in front of him, only slightly covered in sweat that made his skin shiny. Jane had build muscles on all the right places. His biceps were big and round, his arms strong-looking even if they were holding a simple fabric. His shoulders were wide and his waist was narrow, and Jane stood straight with a clear confidence in his appearance. His chest was round and so smooth looking and a little below there was a perfect hint of a six pack, something every woman and some men were thirsty for. Dell Conagher could just stare at the man's body, his mouth silently open from the view he found so beautiful. 

"Dell?" Jane called out for him and suddenly Dell realized he had a question to answer. He lifted his eyes up so he was looking at Jane's eyes and not his body, and tried to mumble something out. "I'm fine, thanks", was the only clear thing he was able to say.

"Jane did excellent work with you", the doctor mentioned and continued his own work without making eye contact with the other men. "Jane raised your legs to direct the blood flow back to the brain and made sure you weren't directly under the sun. According to Mikhail, he used his own body as a shield from the sun", Ludwig giggled. Dell blushed from the thought of that and he felt regret that he wasn't awake enough to see it.

"I fainted?" the florist said slowly. "Yes, but it was a little odd that it took you so long to wake up. Maybe you were emotionally upset. Or you haven't eaten. There are many reasons", the doctor listed and kicked the floor so he rolled to the other side of the small room to pick up a water bottle. Jane immediately reacted and walked over to the doctor, still holding his top in his hands as he took the bottle into his own hand. Ludwig rolled back to his computer, as Jane offered the water to Dell.

"Thank you", he said and grabbed onto the bottle and opened it. "No problem", Jane said quietly.

"I mean, for everything. For helping me out there when my dumb ass fainted", the florist joked and took a sip from the bottle, trying to not stare too much at Jane's godly body. Jane chuckled and just gave a nod back to the man. He then turned in a way that Dell could see both his chest and bottom, and Jane put his top back on almost teasingly slow, clearly showing off his body. His teasing clearly worked, because once again Dell was staring so hard that he almost dropped the bottle. Luckily, Ludwig stood up from his chair and took his stethoscope with him as he headed towards Dell. 

"I'm going to listen to your heart and lungs, just in case. If you could undress yourself a little, that would be great", the doctor ordered and stood in front of the florist, placing the ear tips into his ears and already holding on into the diaphragm piece.

 

Dell's face went even redder when he realized he would have to undress in front of Jane. He felt nervous, but was too nice to ask Jane to leave, so he just mumbled _'okay'_   before starting to unbutton his yellow shirt. He did it slowly, his hands almost shaking as Ludwig waited patiently for him to undress. For a second, Dell looked up at Jane and saw the man looking right at him with a serious look on his face. Or maybe it was a slightly nervous look, just like Dell's face was. Jane's body was almost frozen in place as he watched Dell open his shirt. He slowly took it off and let it lay behind him on the bed and Dell awkwardly looked at the ground, his posture as straight as it could be. As Ludwig started pressing the diaphragm over his chest, Jane instead kept looking.

He had no idea Dell had a tattoo. His own cheeks were turning as red as his jacket and Jane had a hard time to stop looking at the man he had a crush on. Dell's sleeve tattoo started around his elbow and reached over his shoulder, parts of it touching the area near his collar bones. It was a flower tattoo, a green stalk snaking around his arm with dark green leaves and small blooming sunflowers. Jane wondered how he had never seen it before, even a small hint of it. 

Ludwig sat next to Dell on the bed and started pressing the diaphragm on his backside. Jane looked more at the florist's body, trying to keep himself under control. He slowly reached for his own jacket and put it on, never taking his eyes off Dell. Dell Conagher's body was so different from his muscular one, but Jane still found it so beautiful to look at. Dell had clear muscles, but they weren't as clear as Jane's. His arms looked strong, but Dell's stomach looked soft, something Jane wanted to squish playfully. The football coach blushed and finally decided to look away from the florist, until his checkup was done. He bit down onto his lip to stop himself from thinking anything inappropriate. 

 

Dr. Ludwig returned to his seat and printed something, before handing the piece of paper to Dell. The florist was finally standing and able to leave this awkward, but somehow sexually sensual moment as fast as possible. "Thank you. I guess I'll just go now", Dell muttered and folded the paper multiple time until it was small enough to fit inside his pocket. Ludwig looked at him for a moment, before moving his eyes over to Jane, who was back to staring at the florist. The doctor smiled.

"Maybe Jane should walk you home", he suggested. Dell flustered from the idea. "No no, it's alright, it's a short trip from here", the florist muttered excuses out. 

"If you live so close, then it shouldn't be a problem. Right, Jane?" the doctor said with a wicked smile and looked over at Jane. He stopped staring at Dell and turned towards the doctor, trying to get a word out. "Uh, yeah, sure. I'll walk Dell home", he quickly spat out and looked awkwardly at the man next to him.

"Good! We can never be too careful. Go on now!"

And so, Dell and Jane were leaving the hospital, alone, but together.

 

 

 

It was still early and the streets were crowded as Jane and Dell walked towards their destination, both completely silent. They had been walking only for two minutes and Dell swore that nothing in his life had ever been this awkward. Everything around him disappeared and the only thing he could see was Jane - and this time, not in a good way. Dell had no idea how to act with Jane anymore. Every time he did look at Jane, all he could do is blush and think about everything that had happened between them. And now, they had two quite dirty memories together - the finger licking and seeing each other without their shirts. Dell shyly looked away from Jane and did his everything to not suddenly pop a boner from those kind of thoughts. In return, Jane looked at him and saw how uncomfortable he was. He sighed. 

"Dell, I want to apologize", he started and looked back on the road. A couple was coming towards them, so Jane moved closer to Dell in order to give enough room for the two people to pass. Dell swallowed, from the question and from the fact that Jane coming closer to him made his heart race even harder. "F-for what?" he asked, barely getting the question out right. Once the couple had passed them, Jane gave more room for Dell to breathe in.

"For leaving. After our movie night. I was rude for leaving you like that", Jane explained. He wanted to say something along the lines of _'it was rude to leave you after such an intense moment of me sucking your fingers and imagining I was sucking your cock instead'_ , but that would have been too risky to say.

Dell looked at the man for a moment, admiring how the almost setting sun was creating beautiful patterns over Jane's face. He smiled and then looked away. "Well, it was an awkward moment. I get why you wanted to leave", he said with a relaxed tone, even if Dell was the opposite of relaxed. Jane didn't say anything after that and they continued walking towards Dell's apartment, that was coming closer every second.

"It was a great match today", Dell said, wanting to keep the conversation going on somehow. "Really? You didn't even see the half of it!" Jane commented happily, giving a gentle laugh. Dell chuckled with him. "I fainted, god damn!" the florist almost shouted, laughing a little harder now. For a moment, the mood was much lighter.

"You coming to the bar on Friday?" Jane asked after their conversation and laughter had quieted down. Dell thought for a while. "I think so, yeah. Tavish wants me to play the guitar in front of everyone, but I'm trying to avoid that."

"You know how to play guitar?" Jane asked and buried his hands into his jacket's pockets, looking at Dell with a surprised look. The Texan smiled proudly. "Yeah, have since a young lad."

Jane smiled and looked down at his feet as he continued walking, sometimes kicking the dirt out of his way. 

"Would love to hear you play it", he said with a soft tone, soon lifting his head up again to look at Dell. The florist looked at him quietly for a moment, before he chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck. "Well then, I guess I'll be playing on Friday!" he laughed.

 

Suddenly, they were standing in front of the building where Dell lived and they both awkwardly looked at each other like they had been just on a date. Dell giggled and looked down at his feet, Jane repeating the same action soon after.

"Thanks for walking me home", the florist thanked the man, burying his hands into his pant's pockets and leaning to his left side, tapping his right foot's toes against the tarmac. "No problem", Jane said back to him, looking around quickly. Surprisingly, not too many people were around and luckily no one was coming their way, so Jane found this to be the perfect moment to confess something without anyone eavesdropping.

"Dell", Jane said almost as quietly as a whisper, a serious look in his face. Dell realized immediately that the man had something important to say, and the florist completely focused on him, leaving everything else behind. He waited patiently, as Jane took a deep breath, crackling his knuckles inside his pockets.

"I won't give up on you."

Dell Conagher almost shook just from those words alone. His skin crawled in his back, all of his hair stood up and he swore his heart skipped a beat. "W-what?" was the only sound that came out of Dell as the man just stood there, unable to move. He tried to understand what those words meant, or how he was supposed to react to them. Jane swallowed and looked somewhere on his left, before returning his eyes back to Dell's.

"I won't give up on you! That's right, maggot!" the man almost shouted. He didn't seem angry, as the blush taking over his cheeks was a obvious hint that he was actually flustered.

"I'm going to ... be your friend, you like it not!" Jane spat out quickly, as he had realized how weird his words were. Jane decided to stop talking, before he would accidentally reveal his true feelings to Dell. He stood there quietly, glaring into Dell's soul as the florist just stood there with a pale face. Then, after a few seconds, Dell laughed. And god, his laughter lasted for ten seconds at least and Jane was lucky enough to hear all of it.

"Alright then. I won't give up on you either", Dell said as he wiped off happy tears from his eyes before looking up at the football coach. He had a goofy smile on his face, a relieved expression telling Dell that Jane was pleased with his answer. Dell Conagher spread his arms wide open and looked at his taller friend, who in return looked a little confused.

"A hug?" Dell said, unable to make a proper sentence. "Oh! Right. Yes, please", Jane mumbled and moved closer to Dell. He spread his arms open too like they were a pair of wings and he took Dell into his warm embrace. Dell hummed happily and wrapped his arms around Jane, touching his back secretly and admiring how hard it felt under his touch. For a moment, it was just a friendly hug. But then, Jane hugged tighter, burying his head in the curve of Dell's neck and pulling him as close as possible. Dell wrapped his arms better around the bigger man, holding onto him for dear life. In just a few seconds, Dell's heart was about to explode out of his chest. The fact they were in public, for everyone to see, made Dell even more nervous. He could feel Jane's breathing against his neck and when Dell let out a heavy breath that could have been a tiny moan, Jane slowly let go of him and looked at Dell in the eyes. Dell Conagher couldn't believe how crazy he felt - his legs were almost shaking just from a simple hug. He looked up at Jane and gave him a soft smile, trying to think properly.

"You better come on Friday with your damn guitar", Jane said with a serious tone and Dell couldn't help but laugh. "I will, don't worry", he promised. Slowly, they parted their ways and Jane watched the florist enter the building before he turned around and started heading back to the field to get his stuff.

 

\--

 

Friday came and everybody was at the bar. Once again, the group of friends had created a circle, table full of drinks and used cigarette butts laying inside the ashtray. It was the usual Friday night - Jeremy was chatting loudly, complaining about his job and how he can't get the girl he wants. Ludwig was giggling like a little girl and his friend Mikhail was looking after him like a guardian, every now and then telling stories from his past. Mundy and Jamon both stayed quiet and smoked peacefully, and Tavish chatted with Pyro, once again handing him a small amount of money for losing another bet. Jane sat alone, holding his drink that was still almost full as he turned to look towards the stage.

Dell sat down on a chair he had taken to the stage and lowered the microphone so it was placed near his mouth. He placed his guitar into his lap, playing a few notes to check if he had to tune up his guitar. After he was sure he was ready to start, he spoke into the microphone with a nervous, almost crackling voice.

"Hi, my name's Dell Conagher and I'll be playing a song for you today", the man started with a nervous smile. His friend applauded for him, shouting encouraging words.

"Anyway, here's Wonderwall", the man joked. Laughter erupted for a long moment, and when it had finally quieted down, Dell started playing the notes.

The song sounded immediately familiar to Jane, but he couldn't remember what the song was called or who had sang it. Jane didn't take his eyes off of Dell, no matter what. It was weird to see a man like Dell playing a guitar and sing so well. Dell was a prime example of a cowboy, who sang country songs with his guitar. But his prosthetic hand made Jane wonder how he was still able to play like there was no problem at all. As the chorus started, Jane realized where he had heard the song Dell was playing, and his smile waded away slowly.

 

 

_Baby, you're all that I want_

 

_When you're lyin' here in my arms_

 

_I'm findin' it hard to believe_

 

_We're in heaven_

 

 

Jane immediately remembered that one bar night, where Dell was slightly drunk and he called a taxi for them to make sure the florist would get home safely. He remembered that this exact song was playing on the radio while Dell was sleeping in the car, and how Jane had slowly moved closer to steal a kiss from the man. But now Jane could not help but wonder if Dell was even asleep that moment. What if the man had been awake after all, knowing that Jane had tried to kiss him? The man swallowed nervously and bit his lip. Maybe, just maybe, Dell was truly asleep and this all was just a coincidence. But then he thought a little harder. If Dell had been awake at that moment, was he now trying to tell something to Jane? Dell's eyes were mostly focused on his fingers as he played, but every now and then he looked at Jane with a soft smile as he sang. That's when it struck Jane. No matter if Dell was awake that night in the taxi or not, he was singing this song for him. Nobody else in this bar even mattered. Jane could feel that the song was directed to him. To him only.

"He's pretty good, aye?" Tavish suddenly whispered into Jane's ear and the man almost jumped up in surprise. "Yeah", he quickly muttered back and turned his eyes back to Dell. Their eyes met right when Dell was singing the second chorus.

 

 

_And love is all that I need_

  
_And I found it there in your heart_

  
_It isn't too hard to see_

  
_We're in heaven_

 

 

Dell didn't break the eye contact the whole time he was singing the chorus, clearly trying to show he was singing to Jane directly. Jane could not help but blush, but he hid his shyness with a gentle smile. Dell Conagher continued to play the song until the end, and when he stopped the whole bar started clapping their hands together. Few of their friends even shouted for more, but Dell had decided to only play one song tonight. Middle of all the noise that was taking over the bar, Jane had finally decided what he wanted to do with his feelings.

He finally agreed that he was attracted to men. 

And he was done pretending he wasn't.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm going to warn you all now, but updates might be running slow from now on. I'm near the end, which is sad, but it might take a while before I'm able to start writing the next chapter. At school we have this art project going on and that is going to take a lot of my free time away. But I will do my best to keep writing as much as possible! Hey, at least the chapters are much longer than before right?


	7. Tulip

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tulip signifies a declaration of love. It also symbolizes fame and perfect love.

One very early morning - or a very late night -, when some drunk man had finally left the bar after filling the table with empty bottles, Jane and Tavish were completely alone. Jane was sitting in his seat, still memorizing the performance Dell was a part of only a few hours ago. He memorized his voice, how beautifully it moved in the air in a perfect harmony with his trusty guitar. Jane remembered how happy Dell Conagher looked when he played his guitar - his fingers moved so easily over the strings, like they hadn't been there in years but still remembered clearly how to play with them. His voice wasn't so good that Dell could record his own album of covers of old songs, but it was unique, something that was so calming and pleasing to Jane's ears that he wished to hear it every day until he would fall asleep. 

Jane memorized the way the Texan man had looked at him during his performance. There was such passion in Dell's eyes, yet something private hidden behind them. Dell only had looked at Jane and nobody else - Jane noticed this, because he never looked away from the man he had fallen in love with. It was clear to him that Dell had tried to tell him something, and the little hope in Jane's heart told him that Dell was in love with him, too. But there was still uncertainty. Even if it seemed that Dell liked him back, he was still unsure if that was true. What if Dell wasn't like him? Jane still felt so afraid deep down in his heart and a part of him wanted to run away. And Jane never ran away. In fact, he was always the first one to run into the battle like the leader he was born to be. This was the first time in his whole life that Jane was afraid of doing something. Or was he afraid of losing something he cared about?

 

Jane Doe was planning to confess his feelings towards Dell in the most romantic but simple way he could think of. First, he was very confident about the idea. But the more he planned it, the more he realized that there was a chance that Dell would reject him. And if he did reject Jane, their friendship would never be the same.

Tavish Finnegan DeGroot was cleaning the tables and lifting the chairs over them with a happy face. He was humming some song that Jane did not recognize, but the beat of it sounded nice so Jane tried to hum along. Jane would ask later what song his friend was humming. Finally, Tavish threw the dirty rag over the counter and moved closer to Jane, soon pulling a chair next to him. "So, what's yer plan?" the Scottish man asked, leaning against the back of the chair. Jane moved his thumbs against each other almost playfully as he bit his lip gently.

"I'm ... going to tell Dell how I feel about him."

"That's ma boy!" Tavish shouted happily and slammed his hand against Jane's hard backside. Jane laughed a little, but soon his face went serious again. The one-eyed man noticed this immediately and shut down his excitement. "Whot's wrong?" he asked. It took Jane a while to answer.

"I'm afraid that Dell will reject me", the football coach explained and rubbed the back of his head. Once again, Tavish said something that Dell had to be gay since he was a florist, but that didn't convince Jane yet. "I don't wanna ruin our friendship", Jane Doe muttered quietly and looked down at his hands. Tavish let out a loud sigh and grabbed Jane by his shoulders and turned the man towards himself, piercing his one brown eye into Jane's sea colored eyes.

 

"Jane", Tavish started. "You love this man, don't ya?"

Jane swallowed heavily, like he was almost afraid to answer that question. He stayed quiet for a while, before answering. "Yes", Jane answered shortly.

"Do you wanna hold him?" Tavish asked, his grip on Jane hardening.

"Yes!" Jane almost yelled out.

"Please him?"

"YES!"

"Then ya gotta, gotta try a little TENDERNESS! Chicks love that romantic crap!" Tavish almost sang out, shaking his friend playfully.

"But Dell isn't a chick!" the other man muttered.

"He is a florist, the same thing!"

 

Jane rolled his eyes and broke away from his friend's grip. He slammed his hands against his face and muttered about something that Tavish couldn't understand. Finally, Jane moved his hands slowly down his face and let them fall over his thick thighs. He bit his lip and thought for a moment, before slamming his hand against the wooden table with confidence.

"Fine! I will tell him how I feel!" Jane finally agreed. Tavish was almost jumping up and down.

"Finally! Now, we need to plan how to do it", the cyclops said and rubbed his hands together. "Can't I just go and say it to him?" Jane muttered. He wasn't sure if he was able to make his confession such a big deal. He wanted to just say it when he and Dell were alone, for example walking home together. Jane was afraid he would panic and run away if the scene would be too romantic for him to take. After all, Jane had just accepted himself as a gay man after years of being told it was a sickness, something to be ashamed of. It was hard to just forget how he hated himself for being like this. But he had some courage left.

"No, no and no. Jane, it has to be romantic! Dell will love it!" Tavish promised. He took his phone out and started Googling ideas on how to confess your love like a man in a shitty romantic comedy. Jane rubbed his eyes, not believing how far Tavish was taking this. But at the same time he was grateful to have a supportive friend like Tavish. 

"Nothing too big, OK?" Jane pleaded. He didn't want to scare Dell off, so he wished to take it slowly. "Yeh yeh", Tavish muttered as he looked through all the suggestions internet had to offer for them. It took Tavish a few minutes of reading, before he found the perfect way to confess your feelings towards someone. Jane was all ears.

"Dis is very simple, somethin' ya could do", Tavish first explained, still holding onto his phone like he was reading notes from it. "Thanks", Jane said sarcastically. He wasn't too offended, because he knew he was sometimes a little slow. Tavish read something from his phone, before closing it and burying the device back into his pocket.

"Ya ask him to dance with ya, right here on Friday when everyone else has left", the black man explained, waving his hands around like the plan was so complex Jane wouldn't understand it. "And durin' the dance, ya talk to him and tell him about yer feelings! Perfection!" 

"That's it?" Jane asked. "It's easy, romantic and somethin' yer shy ass is able to do, hopefully", Tavish insisted, playfully poking Jane's biceps. 

"Ae can make sure the bar is empty, and ae can also play the piano and sing for ya!" the Scottish man said with a high, excited tone in his voice. His legs were tapping against the floor like he wasn't able to stay still. "Whaddya say?" Tavish looked at Jane with wide sad looking eyes, trying to act like a puppy who wants a treat. Jane thought for a while, feeling unsure about the situation, but finally he giggled.

"I can't say no to that face", he joked and ruffled Tavish's short black hair playfully. Tavish smacked his hand away and laughed.

"Alright, here is what we're gonna do..."

And for a few minutes more, the two friends planned how to make the moment just perfect, so Dell could not refuse Jane and his charms.

 

\--

 

Another Friday. Another beer night. Another moment with friends surrounded around the table, drinking and smoking, enjoying their time like it would be the last time. Jane was enjoying the fun, but behind his laughter there laid a secret mission. His eyes kept moving to his friend Tavish, who always looked back at him with a nod. Nobody noticed that they had something planned out, because everyone was either too drunk or too careless to watch that carefully. 

Everything was just like before. Jeremy was talking a lot, but no one really wanted to listen to him and his made-up stories about how much of a tough guy he was. Pyro sat silently, every now and then signing with his hands to Tavish whenever the black man was looking at him. Tavish was drinking less than usually, to keep his head as clear as possible. The large man called Mikhail was walking his doctor friend Ludwig home early. Apparently, Ludwig had done an extremely hard surgery today and to relax his nerves he had drank twice more than usually in only an hour, which made the man completely pass out. Mundy and Jamon were silent, as always, but this night they seemed to be a little closer to each other than usually. They chatted louder than usually and kept touching each other in the most subtle ways - Jamon always laid his hand on Mundy's shoulder whenever he said something funny, and Mundy brushed his fingers against the french man's hand when he offered him another drink. 

Dell Conagher was a big part of the conversation tonight. He did his best to talk with Jeremy, silencing the young man as much as possible and filling his stupid stories with his own, more realistic and interesting ones. Jeremy wasn't usually much of a listener, but with Dell he seemed to actually calm down, which made everyone at the table glad that they had a moment of peace.

Finally, the night got darker and after only two hours, the others were leaving the table. Soon, it was only Jane, Dell and their common friend Tavish who was already preparing to set the two men together. It all seemed very clear - Tavish had called all of his friends to show up at his bar, but leave much earlier than usually, not yet telling them why. He had cleaned up the place, scrubbed away every old stain he could get rid off and clearing the place from dust. Tavish moved up from his seat and quietly asked the other customers to leave too. And when the place was finally empty, Tavish opened the front door and put a sign on the door that said "CLOSED. PRIVATE EVENT."

Jane Doe talked to his crush like he was an old friend - he asked how Dell's day had been, and Dell told about how great the day had been, as always. Customers had come in and been so gentle and nice with Dell, and he had finally started selling his delicious honey. Customers had visited his little shop more often just to get a taste of his honey - according to them, Dell's honey tasted real, not like those expensive honeys from the store that had been filled with sugar and chemicals that didn't belong there. It seemed like Honey Bee was growing slowly to be a big business.

As Dell was talking, Jane quickly looked over at Tavish. The man with the eye-patch moved his thumb up high in the air, showing his friend that everything was ready. Jane gave a small nod, telling Tavish - and himself - that he was ready to do it.

Tavish Finnegan moved towards the light switches of the place and closed a few of them, making the place shadowy. He left the lights over Dell's head and piano stay on, but otherwise the bar was completely dark. Slowly, without saying a word, Tavish walked over to the piano and took a seat. He first ran his fingers over the black surface, admiring the beauty his grandmother had given him before she had passed away. He smiled.

 

Tavish pressed one key down. Both Jane and Dell turn to look at him, leaving their conversation behind. Tavish gives them a smirk, them pressed a few more keys down, the piano letting out a deep echo.

He then starts playing the intro of the song. The keys are singing high notes, the melody calming and recognizable. It's the famous song by Richard Marx from 1989 summer, that played on the radio for months and still does. The global hit that stroke deep into every romance lover's heart.

Jane and Dell watched their friend perform the song with smiles. Dell was excited to see what Tavish was going to sing, wondering if the man was going to mess up the lyrics once again. Jane, instead, secretly looked at Dell, clenching his fists and biting his bottom lip. Suddenly, the only thing Jane could hear was his own heart beating against his chest. He let Tavish sing the first chorus, before he decided he would make his move.

 

 

_Wherever you go_

 

_Whatever you do_

 

_I will be right here waiting for you_

 

_Whatever it takes_

 

_Or how my heart breaks_

 

_I will be right here waiting for you_

 

 

"I didn't know Tavish could sing this beautifully", Dell commented, his eyes almost shining under the single light above their table. "That's because he's sober", Jane chuckled out, then swallowed heavily. Right after the chorus, he slowly stood up and walked in front of Dell, his hands in his jacket's pockets. He should have worn something more classy for this night. Once again, he was wearing his trusty red jacket that he never left, paired with a pair of black jeans and a blue shirt that had some white text on it related to football. 

Dell looked up at Jane, his smile slowly fading away but the sparkles in his eyes staying there, making Jane's legs almost melt under his weight. Jane swallowed, closed his eyes for a second before he took his hand out of his pocket and offered it to the florist. Dell looked at his hand, his eyes slightly wider, before moving his eyes up to meet with Jane's. Jane was freaking out on the inside, but on the outside he only showed his calm side, trying to pretend that everything was in control. His posture calm and his body no longer shaking, Jane gave a gentle smile for Dell and asked: "Could I have this dance?"

The florist could not help but smile. He first giggled and looked down at his feet, hiding his face. Dell quickly lifted his face up and lifted his left hand, grabbing tightly onto Jane's hand. "Gladly", the Texan said and pulled himself up from the chair.

Jane escorted Dell to the dance floor, which was basically just the space between their seats and the stage. Tavish had cleaned up around them, so the two of them had just enough room for a slow dance. They stood in front of each other, quickly looking at Tavish who kept singing the song with a bright smile. Jane let out a nervous laughter, before he positioned his arms. His right arm gently wrapped around Dell's hip, pulling the man a little closer. Jane's other hand grasped onto Dell's right hand, the prosthetic one, and their fingers moved past each other, holding onto each other tightly. Dell let out a nervous laughter, too, and moved his left hand on Jane's shoulder. They both swallowed and looked at each other, before Jane gave the florist a soft nod and started moving. 

Tavish started singing the second chorus as Jane and Dell just danced together, smiles taking over their faces. Jane took a careful step to the right, his left following his right foot. Dell followed easily. Jane took a step to the left and Dell did the same. They moved simply but easily, swinging side to side like they were in a school dance. Dell looked just beautiful tonight - he was wearing the same outfit as always, but somehow he was shining under the dim light like he was an angel. Dell kept chuckling about something, but he never said anything. And the silent moment between them was just perfect. Jane wanted to just lean in and hold Dell as close as possible, just listening to the beautiful song and moving around slowly. Jane enjoyed the moment as long as he could, but as Tavish was done singing the second chorus, he wanted to step in and move on with their plan.

 

"Dell, there is something I want to tell you", Jane started bravely, not even bothering to start with small talk. "What is it?" Dell asked. His face went serious for a moment, but he brought his cute smile back onto his face, as a sign he trusted Jane. 

Tavish stopped singing and just kept playing the piano tunes over and over again, making the song last a little longer. Jane swallowed heavily and he looked somewhere on his side, finding it easier to say what he needed when he wasn't directly staring at Dell.

"S-since the day we met, well, I've found you different from others", Jane started, trying not to feel too weird for using such sabby words.

"How so?" Dell asked, his prosthetic hand holding tighter onto Jane's hand. The florist seemed calm, like he had no idea what was going to happen. He danced with a completely relaxed body and mind, an understanding look written all over his face. Jane swallowed. "Well, uh, I've never had a friend as funny as you", Jane stuttered, trying to speak without stepping over Dell's small feet. "And, you're ... compassionate!" Jane said with a smile, feeling proud because he had just learned a new word. 

Dell giggled. "Thank you, Jane", he said through the laughter and giggled a little more before he quieted down. Tavish kept playing the same piano tune over and over again, not yet daring to start singing the last chorus. He had not prepared to play another romantic song. Jane noticed how Tavish was giving him 'the look', and the man swallowed.

"There's ... more than just that", Jane started. He was biting his lower lip a lot and his hands were sweaty, as Jane tried to find the right words to use. He had practiced this with Tavish a few nights before, but suddenly all of those poems he wrote disappeared and Jane was at a loss. But Dell was patient. 

"You know, I cherish every moment we share together", Jane said. That was something he wrote down, when Tavish was giving him suggestions on romantic things to say. Dell smiled at that so widely his teeth were visible. "I do, too", he said quietly, first looking down at his feet, then bringing his eyes back up at Jane. That innocent look he gave made Jane's legs melt, and for a moment he lost his balance, but he caught it quickly and luckily Dell didn't seem to notice.

"And I - I find you very handsome", Jane muttered quietly. He let go of Dell's hand and moved it over the florist's cheek, caressing it gently. Jane swallowed. His action took Dell by surprise, but the man smiled and moved his prosthetic hand on top of Jane's shoulder, both of his hands inching closer to Jane's neck, ready to wrap around Jane's shoulders. 

Dell swallowed. "I find you very handsome too", he said quietly, never looking away from Jane's eyes.

 

Tavish gasped silently and started playing the chorus but did not sing along. He realized the two lovebirds didn't even realize he was still there. The pianist played as silently and slowly as he could, creating the perfect music to fit in the atmosphere. 

Jane's hand fell down from Dell's cheek and it caressed his body carefully, until his hand was placed on his other hip. Jane parted his lips and slowly inched closer.

Dell didn't push him away, nor did he back away from him. Instead, Dell leaned in closer. He lifted himself higher with his toes, at the same time wrapping his hands around Jane and pulling him closer. Jane did the same - his hands wrapped around Dell's waist and pulled him as close as possible. It all happened so fast - soon, Jane wasn't coming closer to Dell as slowly as possible to make a careful gentle entrance. It was the complete opposite. They both moved in at the same time, leaning closer to crash their lips together with hunger that had been boiling inside their bodies for weeks.

Dell's lips tasted like beer he had been drinking lately, but there was also a weird sense of something sweet - maybe honey or his chapstick that probably also tasted like honey. Jane also had a faint sense of alcohol in his lips, but Dell could also taste the old sensation from a cigarette he had smoked and something else Dell couldn't really put a name to.

Dell Conagher drove deep into the kiss, his arms around Jane tightening like he was about to fall. He was so hungry for more, no longer caring about his surroundings, as he begged for more. He had secretly waited for this moment for so long and when it finally was happening, Dell couldn't get enough of it. Jane was surprised on how the florist reacted to this, but was pleased enough to continue. His hands traveled around Dell's backside, grabbing tightly onto the soft material of his shirt. He caressed Dell's soft backside gently, sometimes even pressing down harder like he was massaging the man. Dell's fingers instead played with the hair on Jane's occipital, gently tugging at it.

They were kissing each other for long seconds, completely ignoring their surroundings, even Tavish who had a hard time playing the song as he was just too excited of the scene he was witnessing. For a moment, it was just Jane and Dell and nobody else. For a single moment, the whole world stopped and it was just the two of them moving.

Dell Conagher parted his lips more, smacking them again on Jane's mouth and he carefully tried to enter his tongue into the kiss. Dell's cheeks were red like tomatoes under the summer sun, his legs so lightly shaking from the excitement. He couldn't believe it was all actually happening. Dell had sworn to himself that if he ever could get to kiss Jane Doe, his secret crush, he would take it slowly and not fuck it up. But when it was finally happening, Dell could not help himself. He was so hungry for more, not even believing how amazing a simple kiss would feel and he yearned for more than just a kiss.

Suddenly, Jane broke away from the kiss. He pushed Dell away from him and took a few small steps back.

Dell opened his eyes and just watched the football coach back away from him. Jane's face was pale, expect his cheeks and ears that were turning red. His eyes were wide open, almost tearing up and his body seemed to be shaking. Jane looked scared.

"Jane?" Dell said quietly, taking a small step towards the man. Jane shook his head and took another step away from him, towards the exit.

"Oh God, I'm so sorry, I -", Jane mumbled and pulled his shirt down as much as possible. Jane looked like he was about to cry, and his legs kept moving together like he was hiding something between them. The man was panicking and backing away slowly, unable to look at the man. Tavish was watching the whole scene, his mouth mouthing "NO" but Jane never looked at him. Finally, Jane dared to look at Dell again and he had the most heartbroken expression Dell had seen.

"Dell, I'm so sorry."

Suddenly, completely out of surprise, Jane turned around and ran towards the exit, opening the door and disappearing outside.

 

The piano stopped. Time stopped. Their romantic moment stopped and died. Dell stopped breathing for a moment.

Dell was confused and heart broken, once again. He was left alone - even if Tavish was there too -, and he couldn't understand why. Dell Conagher felt like he was going to end up crying, but he bit his lower lip as hard as possible to stop the tears. The only question he had in his mind was a simple _"Why?"_ as he just stood there, still looking at the door Jane had escaped through.

Tavish left the piano and quickly walked over to Dell, laying his hand on top of his shoulder. "Damn, Dell, I'm sorry. Dis wasn't the plan at all", the one-eyed man tried to explain, completely out of words. He had no idea either why Jane had suddenly chickened out and ran. "I thought he was ready", he continued explaining. Dell looked towards his friend, swallowing heavily.

"Ready for what?" Dell specified. He took a deep breath, trying to stop himself from crying like a little girl. Tavish took a deep breath too.

"To accept himself as he is", Tavish sighed out and wrapped Dell into a gentle hug. Dell wrapped his hands strongly around the man, his eyes still looking at the door as tears took over his eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Spot the Shrek-reference.  
> Also, such sad.


	8. Daisy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daisy symbolizes innocence and purity. It conveys loyal love.

Days pass slowly. It is quiet. Dell even refuses to talk to his friends and completely shuts himself out from the world around him. He feels heart broken, confused, betrayed. He has never felt this empty, not after his both parents passed away.

Dell Conagher wondered if Jane hated him. But if Jane did hate him, then why would he have kissed him?

The night was a blur to him. Dell remembered them dancing together, then kissing and holding onto each other tightly ... and then, suddenly Jane was running away. Like he had realized he was making a huge mistake. Dell could not understand why he had done that. He thought about all of the possibilities, all of them breaking his heart. 

 

Even with a broken heart, Dell had to work or he would lose his flower shop. He could not give up on it, when his lifelong dream was the only thing left. He worked harder than ever before, kept the store open a little longer, and even offered home deliveries. Anything to keep himself so busy he had no time for thinking. Or feeling anything else but exhaustion.

One night was calmer than the others. The whole day had been quiet, and as the sky was turning brightly orange, Dell went outside to take care of his bees. He did what he needed, and after he was done he just walked past the beehives, letting the bees fly around him. It was weird, but the bees were almost friendly. They never seemed to run away and stayed at their home Dell had given them. The bees gave him honey in return. And they never tried to sting him. The bees only tickled him whenever they came close. Dell wasn't sure if it was normal behavior for bees, but he decided to let it slide. He had studied about bees for hours and was done reading.

Dell Conagher just stood there, wearing his favorite yellow shirt with black dots paired together with brown pants that were slightly dirty. Dell took his glasses off, rubbed the lenses against his shirt as to clean them before putting them back on. He looked at his old trusty truck, painted in the colors of blood red and black like the night sky. His father once owned that truck, always driving around with it and sitting in the backspace drinking beer like a true Texan man. Dell barely used, as he tried to walk around a little more and in a city as small as this using a truck to get by was a waste of gas. But something in him told him that he should just get in and go for a drive.

Just as Dell was about to turn and get his car keys - and maybe some snacks -, he realized he wasn't alone. At the back door of the storage room that was located right behind his flower shop, there stood Jane. Completely silent. He looked different. Instead of wearing his red jacket, he had a leather jacket, the kind of that bikers would wear. His jeans were a size smaller, clearly being just a bit too tight at the right places. A pair of dirty combat boots were keeping his feet clean from the mud and between his scarred lips he had a cigarette, almost burned out. Dell could only just stare at Jane. A part of him was angry and still hurt, but another part of him was just glad to see him again. How long had it been since the last time he got to see Jane's beautiful face and that short chocolate brown hair?

"Hi, Jane", Dell muttered out without even realizing he had opened his mouth. A smile forced itself to come over his face and Dell moved his hands into his pant pockets. Jane took the cigar out of his mouth and dropped it onto the ground, soon pressing his foot over it and rubbing it against the ground until he was sure no fire would start from it. He then took a careful step towards the florist. 

"Hey."

God, Dell could just melt from his voice. It was deep and soft, yet somehow emotionless, in a good way of course. Jane appeared as a tough guy who could beat anybody up, but Dell knew that inside him there was that funky gentle man who was secretly vulnerable and emotional. 

Dell remembered how Jane had just left him at the bar after bringing his hopes up. He gave Jane a cold look, trying to show that he was waiting for an explanation. No, he expected an explanation. Jane realized this fast, let out a nervous laugh and looked around with a shameless look.

"I guess an apology is needed", he started, soon clearing his voice.

"I'd like to know why you did ... what you did that night", Dell jumped right into the conversation. It had been only a few days since that night, but for hours Dell had wondered what had happened at the bar and why. He had wanted to meet Jane or at least call him, but he, too, had been too afraid to make the first move. Jane looked a little afraid, as his face was pale and his eyes never could look directly into Dell's eyes. Jane clenched his hands into tight fists, pressing his nails against his palms until small moons were born into his skin.

"I, um ... Listen, I'm still having trouble ... accepting myself as ... a gay man", Jane finally said, his words coming out slowly and in deep breaths. Dell listened carefully, biting his bottom lip so hard it could draw blood. He could feel himself sweating nervously already, butterflies fluttering in his stomach and his heart beat pumping faster and stronger. He swallowed heavily.

"So, you're afraid of ... _this_?" Dell asked and moved his finger between the two men. First pointing at Jane, then at himself. Jane let out a sigh and nodded.

"Dell, I've always thought that being like _this_ is wrong. But then I realized I was like this, that I was gay, and I didn't know what to do", Jane Doe explained. He was breathing heavily, looking down at the ground like he was a shameful man.

"So you have felt disgusted about yourself?" Dell Conagher swallowed. He looked down at his right hand, the prosthetic part again hidden under the yellow glove. He had learned to live with it, as his missing arm was a part of him now. But he had been ashamed of himself too. Jane just gave a nod to him, and then let out a sob. Dell lifted his head up quickly, just silently watching Jane's teary eyes look somewhere in the horizon.

"But then I met you, and I thought .. maybe, just maybe, it's OK for me to be like this", the man muttered. His hand moved up to his head, hiding his other eye as he leaned against it, suddenly crying much heavier. Dell moved a little closer to Jane, silently whispering his name. Suddenly, Dell wasn't angry at all. Not anymore. Jane started sobbing louder and he stumbled towards the florist, and soon Dell caught the bigger man into his arms and held him tight. "It's alright, I'm not mad at ya", Dell Conagher promised and pat the man on the back. Jane just cried against his shoulder, soon wrapping his own strong arms around the man too. They stood like that for a moment, until Jane had stopped crying. It was weird to see a man like him crying. To Dell's eyes, Jane Doe was the tough guy, always full of energy and positive thoughts. He was strong, always ready to fight for his friends. It made Dell's heart ache to see a man like him suddenly so broken. 

"It's just - I just", Jane tried to spit out, but only cried more. Dell shushed him and rubbed his back some more. 

"I love you."

 

Everything stopped.

Slowly, Dell broke away from their embrace and looked at Jane who had went quiet too. He turned his face away from the man and wiped his nose. Dell could only stare at him with wide eyes, his mouth hanging open too. "What?" he muttered out, his confused words as quiet as a whisper. Jane still didn't look at him. "You love me?" Dell asked. Suddenly he felt like he was out of breath. His legs were silently trembling under his weight, his mind foggy and his heart - god, his heart was about to burst open.

"Yes", Jane said quietly and he swallowed. This wasn't the way he wanted to confess his feelings, but the words just came out of him. And when he had said them, it had been too late to take them back. Jane took a deep breath. "Since the very start. I just saw something special in you. And, fuck, I've really loved spending time with you", Jane blurted out. He clenched his hands into tighter fists, feeling weirdly sick in his stomach. It wasn't like him to say such sweet things. He was a manly man, for god's sake! But maybe being sensitive wasn't so bad now.

Dell looked up at Jane and realized he was still looking away from him. Like he was ashamed of himself. Dell swallowed heavily, then let out a deep breath. Slowly, he collected his thoughts and thought about what he should do next. He couldn't deny it - he loved Jane too. But it seemed that Jane was fragile and new at this - just like he was-. Dell had to be careful with his words and actions now, to show that he truly cared for Jane.

"Jane, you're ... like a flower", he said quietly. Jane chuckled. "Because I'm very pretty?" he said and wiped his snow again, still not facing Dell. Bravely, Dell moved both of his hands over Jane's cheeks and turned him to look at him. Dell wiped some of the tears away from his eyes and as Jane finally opened his eyes and looked right into his, Dell gave him a smile.

"Yes, you're very pretty", the florist laughed. It was a mixture of laughter and crying, as Dell looked down at his feet for a moment to fight back against the tears. "You're a beautiful flower who wants someone to care for him. But the moment someone picks you up from the ground, you falter and die", Dell explained, and looked back up at the other man. Jane listened carefully at the florist's wise words. 

"But maybe", Dell continued, his hands caressing the man's cheeks so gently his fingers felt like feathers tickling his skin. "Maybe you wouldn't falter if someone picked you up and put you in a vase and watered you every day."

Jane was astonished from these words. He was slow, but it didn't take too long for him to understand the message behind those words. Dell looked into his eyes and smiled. His eyes were teary now, too. "You don't have to be afraid of loving another man, Jane. I would never hurt you", the florist promised and he inched closer to the man. He bit his lip, like he was truly fighting back so he wouldn't cry either, and Jane did the same.

"I love you too", Conagher whispered and slowly pulled Jane into a kiss. It was a much gentler, sweeter kiss this time. Their tears mixed in made the taste a little salty, but the sweetness of it was still in it. They simply kept their lips touching each other without moving them, like they were swimming in dangerous waters and wanted to take it carefully. After a few seconds Dell breaks away, leaving Jane yearning for more. He laughs a little, then Jane joins in on the awkward laughter. They hug each other again, this time holding onto each other much tighter. And all of their worries seem to completely disappear.

"I'm so sorry", Jane mutters out. Dell immediately shushes him. He doesn't want to be mad about it anymore. He wants to cherish that moment only, the moment the two of them had their first kiss.

"I meant", Jane starts. He stays quiet for a moment like he is collecting his strength to say what he wants to say. "There is another reason why I left that night."

"Why?" Dell asks. His eyes are closed and he is holding tightly onto the muscular man. Jane feels so good under his touch and he never wants to let go of him again.

"I got a boner."

 

Dell moves away from the hug again and looks at Jane quietly for a moment. Jane looks back at him with a pale face.

Luckily, Dell starts laughing like a maniac. Tears are coming out of his eyes again, now in a more positive light, and he is holding tightly onto Jane's arms so he doesn't fall down to the ground. "How?" he is able to choke out through the laughter. Jane giggles too. "You started using your tongue! I'm pretty sure you even moaned, you horny maggot!" Jane said loudly. "Shh, not so loud!" Dell giggled even harder, banging his hand against Jane's chest.

"Just that got you hard? My god", Dell giggled. "Do not judge me and my mighty penis", Jane comments with a straight face and Dell is laughing so hard he falls against the man. Luckily Jane catches him and laughs with him, waiting for the florist to calm down. Jane loves Dell's laughter so much, and he watches with a smile a Dell's laughter quiets down slowly. He is wiping away tears, his cheeks are completely red and his stomach is wiggling in a funny way every time he giggles. Suddenly, the man lets out a loud 'oh' and he turns towards Jane.

"I've got a story for ya", he starts and Jane is all ears. "Remember that night after the movies, when you came over here and we ate that honey?"

Of course Jane remembers that night. It was probably that night when he realized he was completely fallen for the florist. How could Jane forget the moment when he licked Dell's fingers clean from the honey in the most sexual way possible? He had touched himself after that right after he got home. He couldn't help it.

Dell giggles. "Well, after you left, I was popping a boner too", he quickly spit it out and covered his mouth in embarrassment. But he still was laughing against his own hand as Dell watched Jane's reaction. "What, really?" Jane asked and laughed. Dell nodded. 

"You didn't...?" the man started, but never finished his question as it was obvious. Dell nodded again and started laughing. "Oh god, you did. Horny maggot", Jane joked and started laughing too. But the thought of Dell touching himself too, because of his actions, just made the man excited.

When the laughter slowly quieted down between them, the two men just stared at each other. It was suddenly very quiet between them and neither of them really knew what to say. Quickly, Jane leaned in for another short kiss, moving his mouth over Dell's and passionately kissing him before breaking away. Still no words. Dell chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck. He looked over at his truck, then he looked over at the sky. It was getting darker. On the horizon there was a glow of orange and pink mixed together, but the higher you looked the darker the color was. An idea came into Dell's mind. A romantic date.

"Let's get out of the city", the florist comments. His suggestion takes Jane by complete surprise. "Huh?"

"I mean, let's go out for a short drive. Watch the starts, and ... shit", Dell explained and turned to look towards Jane. "You don't want to go?"

"Oh yes, I want to go", Jane said quickly. He actually liked the idea a lot, and showed it by smiling wildly. The florist smiled back. 

"Tell you what", Jane said and buried his hands into his pockets, finding that he had small cash with him. "Let's meet here again in 30 minutes. I go to the store and get us some drinks, you get everything else ready", Jane almost ordered, knowing exactly what they would be doing during the driving. Dell smiled like a excited child and nodded. "Alright, see you soon", he said with a smile. And with that, Jane turned around and started walking away. He soon stopped, turned around, returned to Dell and pulled him into another kiss so passionate that Dell's legs gave up on him. Suddenly, their hands were travelling against each others bodies, unable to stop touching. Their lips moved over each other with hunger, both of them moaning into the kiss. Jane broke the kiss fast to avoid getting hard again and he gave a teasing smile to the Texan.

"Soon", he said quietly and started jogging to the nearest store, leaving Dell completely high and excited for what was about to come.

Jane was going to buy a lot more than just beer.

 

 

\--

 

 

Dell put a few blankets and pillows into the largest plastic bag and lifted the bag inside the backspace of the truck, making sure it would not fall off from the ride. Luckily, he didn't have to run to his home to get them. One night he worked late on the shop and had fallen asleep on the counter, giving him horrible ache on his lower back and neck. So after that event, he had a few pillows and blankets in his store, just in case he would not make it home some night. Also, Dell got cold easily so on the evenings when the sun was already gone, he wore a blanket over his shoulders. Dell waited by the truck for Jane who came 10 minutes earlier than promised. He was holding two cheap beers in his left hand, and his right hand was buried deep in his jacket's pocket, like he had something else with him. They kissed quickly and got inside the truck. Dell turned the key, stirred the wheel and started driving out of the city towards the area that was surrounded with trees and nothing else. A perfect place to hide away from the world.

Their car ride was quiet. Both of them were too shy and nervous to say a word to each other, but at no point the ride was uncomfortable or awkward. They enjoyed each other's company, sometimes looking over at each other with smiles before looking away like shy teenage girls. It had gotten much darker outside in just a few minutes, but not so dark that Dell had to turn on the front lights of his truck. Only one car passed them on the roadway and soon the city disappeared and was replaced with thousands of trees.

As the radio played softly, some old man singing a country song everyone was tired of hearing, Dell pulled over from the road and started driving on a small forest path that was not made for cars. Moving very slowly between the trees, not caring if he could even get out without getting scratches into his car, Dell headed deeper into the forest, trying to find the perfect empty spot for just the two of them. He found one empty spot somewhere on his left, but he saw rocks on his way so he kept going. Finally, he found a spot where the trees stopped growing and where they had the perfect view to see the starry sky and they pulled over, shutting the engine of the old trusty truck.

Silently, without saying a word, the two men stepped out of the car and walked over to the backspace. Dell jumped in and opened the plastic bag and threw a few blankets at Jane, who in return giggled and picked them up from the grass. They spread the old itchy blankets over the backspace floor and put the two hollow pillows next to each other. Jane jumped in and immediately laid down over their cheap mattress. It wasn't very soft, but it was better than nothing. Dell stepped out to get the beers that Jane forgot on his seat, and soon returned with a bottle opener. He sat next to Jane and opened a bottle for him. Jane Doe sat up and took a sip from his bottle as Dell opened his bottle with a quick swing.

"Where are we?" Jane finally decides to ask in order to break the silence. Dell takes a long sip from his drink like he has been thirsty for hours and moves the bottle out of his mouth with a soft 'pop'. "In a forest", he says simply. "I know that, maggot. What forest?"

Dell thinks for a while. He doesn't know if the forest even has a name. He actually has no idea where they are, yet he still knew the way home. "I don't know. We are lost", he says and takes another sip. Jane laughs softly. "Now we must live here and do our best to survive", he says, jumping in to the joke and drinks from his beer. The alcohol is not that good - it tasted like beer that you give to kids who are finally legal to drink something stronger than their sugary energy drinks. It tasted like beer that was more like juice than it was beer. But it had been the cheapest so that's what they had to live with now.

"Do you know any survival things, Jane?" Dell decided to ask to keep the conversation going. He was sure Jane knew a lot of things, since he had been in the army. Dell imagined Jane as a boy scout too, and smiled at the thought of it. He wondered how Jane looked like as a child.

"I know how to make a noose when I'm ready to give up", the man said silently and Dell punched him in the arm. "Just kidding", Jane assured and took a small sip from his drink. "I know how to make a campfire, how to look for food and stuff."

"What food can you find in a forest?" Dell asked. He knew the answer to it, but still decided to ask to keep them talking. He had missed moments like these with Jane. The moments where they just talk about whatever comes into their mind.

"If there is a lake, then fish. You can also hunt down a rabbit if you're fast enough. Then berries and mushrooms are good too. I especially like the red ones", Jane explained. He was holding his fingers up like he was counting. Dell found that adorable.

"What red ones?" the florist asked and took a sip from his drink. How was it almost empty already? Dell looked at the bottle and noticed that it wasn't as big as he usually drank. Also, he drank sugary drinks much faster and this beer Jane had bought for them tasted almost like lemonade juice.

"The red mushrooms", Jane continued and took a sip from his drink. He was already done with his drink, and without much care he threw the bottle to the ground. "I'll pick it up later", he promised the man and laid down, burying his head onto the pillow.

Dell looked down at Jane. "Jane, the red mushrooms are poisonous", he said with a concerned voice. Dell drank the rest of his drink and did the exact same thing as his partner had done. He threw the bottle onto the grass and watched it roll for a moment before it stopped. No broken glass, luckily.

"Oh, so that's why I almost died as a kid", Jane said quietly and closed his eyes. Silence came between them, but soon Dell laughed. "You're funny", he commented and laid down too, as close to Jane as possible. Dell cuddled next to him and Jane moved his arm under his head so Dell could snuggle under his arm and against his side. They both looked up at the sky that was painted dark blue, small hints of white dots giving a hint that this night the stars would show themselves to the world. Unless clouds would suddenly take over.

 

They stayed there quietly for a moment, just admiring the sky and enjoying the warmth they gave to each other. But Dell Conagher couldn't completely relax. He could feel that something was in Jane's pocket, and something in him knew exactly what it was.

Dell would be lying to himself if he said he wasn't hungry for Jane. One of the reasons, if not the only reason they came here tonight was that they could have sex. Some 'alone time' without anyone stopping them or bothering their time together. But Dell knew he had to move slowly, or not even move at all. He didn't want Jane to run away from him again and he didn't want to pressure the man into anything. Dell swallowed heavily, realizing how much he cared for Jane's feelings.

"Jane", he quietly called out. "Yeah?" Jane almost whispered back. Dell lifted his head and turned to look at Dell. He swallowed once again.

"We can take this all as slowly as you want. Don't wanna pressure ya or anything", Dell said with a soft smile. Jane was silent for a while, just looking at the man next to him. Finally he gave a nod and then leaned closer to Dell. They both rolled to their side so they were facing each other and Jane slowly leaned in for a small kiss, ignoring how their positioning felt a little awkward. But Dell didn't seem to mind, as he simply closed his eyes and kissed the man gently. They broke the kiss, then kissed each other again like they were giving good-night kisses to each other. Jane moved away again and just looked at Dell. Soon the florist opened his eyes too and looked at the man.

Jane reached for Dell's glasses and slowly took them off. He lifted his torso up and moved the glasses away from their bodies, somewhere above their pillows, away from their cheap bed they had made on the backspace of the truck. He then returned to Dell, but didn't lay down next to him. Keeping his torso higher in the air with his right hand, Jane leaned down over Dell and pressed their lips together, this time with a little more pressure. Dell turned and laid on his back down and he rubbed Jane's arm with his right hand that was still hidden under the glove. He then broke the kiss and moved his left hand to take off the glove. Dell pulled it out slowly, Jane just silently watching him and soon Dell threw the glove away somewhere where his glasses were too. Jane looked at Dell's right hand, the robotic replacement the former engineer had build himself. Jane carefully grabbed his arm and brought the prosthetic hand near his lips. Jane placed a few tender kisses on the mechanical fingers and Dell smiled, thinking his actions were so sweet.

It was Jane's way showing he loved Dell even with his missing arm or with the prosthetic version of his hand. He admired it. Jane looked down at Dell and leaned down again, crashing their lips together with more hunger. He kissed the man slowly for a good ten seconds - he knows how long because Jane kept counting the seconds in his head -, before he slowly lifted his body up and moved himself over Dell. Dell Conagher followed and opened his legs more and Jane placed himself right between them, pressing his body against Dell's. The florist felt soft at every point, especially his stomach. Jane drove deeper into the kiss, moving his lips over his as he pressed his body against the other. Dell's hands snaked over Jane's strong arms over his shoulders, just caressing his fingers over the fabric of his leather jacket. Jane, on the other hand, kept his hands on his sides, keeping his body high enough so he wouldn't crush the florist with his weight. But soon he moved his right arm to Dell's shoulder and slowly started moving it down, over his chest to his stomach. And when Jane's hand was over Dell's stomach, he couldn't help but gently play with it. He moved his hand over Dell's belly, just feeling how soft it was, before he dared to press his fingers a little deeper, maybe even grabbing it gently. Dell seemed to like that - he arched his back and wrapped his hands around Jane, silently begging for more.

Jane felt so nervous that his hands were shaking, but even with that he decided to press his lower body against the space between Dell's legs and already that made the florist let out a muffled moan against his mouth. Just the sound of it turned Jane on, made him much braver and more hungry than he was. With quick moves, Jane kissed him with passion as his hands wrapped around the shorter man's body. And slowly, but strongly enough, Jane started grinding himself against Dell.

Dell lifted his legs a little higher, his hips slowly moving up and down to meet with Jane's hips as he muffled into the kiss, his nails already digging onto Jane's backside. In short moments, both of them were in complete heat, yearning to feel more. Jane started moving faster, his hips rolling just perfectly against Dell that his groin started to grow harder. Their faces were flushed red, bodies aching for more and it was clear that neither of them had never been this turned on. Jane broke away from the kiss and buried his face on the curve of Dell's neck, as he started grinding a little faster, pressing their clothed dicks against each other over and over again. But it never was enough.

"J-Jane", Dell breathed out heavily, his lips pressed right next to Jane's ear so he heard every sound the Texan made. Jane let out a deep moan against the man's neck before wrapping his lips around the flesh, sucking on it hard. Dell gasped, arched against the man as his legs shook violently. His pants already felt so tight and Dell couldn't keep his eyes open. He held tighter onto the man, as Jane sucked on his neck, creating a obvious hickey. He then bit down gently on the same spot, making Dell shake under him. Jane Doe started thrusting his hips against him even harder, but slowed down his pace. 

"God, Jane, please", Dell almost begged into his ear and Jane couldn't hold himself back anymore. He broke away from the man and lifted himself up, standing on his knees between Dell's legs and looking down at him. Dell Conagher's face was flushed red, he was out of breath and something in his pants was poking out, begging to be freed. Jane swallowed.

"Only if you want", the florist whispered quietly, as he looked up at Jane with wide desperate eyes. Jane shook his head. "Of course I want to", he said simply and opened his leather jacket. He let it fall off his shoulders almost in a teasingly way, never breaking eye contact from the florist. Jane had only been wearing his beloved white top underneath and his muscular hands were completely exposed. His tank top was also just tight enough to show off his well-build body and Dell could not help but lick his lips from the sight. Jane buried his hand into his jacket's pocket and took out something he had been hiding the whole ride here - a bottle of lube and a box of condoms. He placed them on his left, far away so they wouldn't be on their way but near enough for him to reach for them when needed. Dell chuckled.

"Where did you get those?" he asked. A silly question. 

"From the store, of course", Jane answered quickly and threw the jacket out of their way. He then moved down and crashed their lips together, while at the same time his hands were doing their best to open the buttons of Dell's shirt. Their bodies grinding against each other and Jane's hand snaking between them, he finally got Dell's shirt open. Jane broke away from the kiss and kissed Dell's jawline, before moving down to his neck and his collar bones, placing sweet loving kisses everywhere he could reach. His hands were caressing Dell's sides, and the florist could feel they were slightly shaking. He admired how brave Jane was.

 

Jane trailed his mouth a little more down and kissed Dell's chest gently, before he moved over to Dell's nipple and traced his tongue over it. Dell let out a silent gasp and lifted his hips higher, begging to be touched down there. Jane chuckled at that and moved his right hand between Dell's thighs, right over his groin. Dell Conagher moved his hips against his hand and let out his first desperate moan, closing his eyes. Jane Doe moved his mouth over his nipple and sucked on it playfully, at the same time rubbing his hand against the man's pants. He did this only for a minute, until Dell was pleading for more.

"Fucking hell Jane, please, do something", he begged and looked down at the man. "But I am", Jane simply answered and kissed his chest, looking right into Dell's eyes. "You know what I mean. Please, Jane, I want more", Dell said with no shame and ran his hand through the other man's hair. "As you wish."

Jane Doe started kissing down Dell's stomach, his hands caressing his sides before they moved to his belt buckle. With only a little trouble, Jane got the buckle open and then reached for the fly, moving the zipper down as fast as he could. He then moved his fingers to the rim of Dell's pants and started pulling them down. Dell helped him, lifting his legs and ass up whenever needed and soon his pants were gone, his shoes following. Suddenly, Dell felt more exposed and his skin shivered under the cold breeze of the late evening. Jane moved down and pressed their bodies together again, giving Dell gentle kisses as his fingers started pulling off his boxers, too. And then, Dell's lower body was completely exposed.

Jane first just looked, clearly nervous, before he placed himself between the florist's legs once again and moved down to his stomach. Jane kissed his stomach, then gave it a soft love bite that hurt just a little. Dell gasped and played with Jane's short hair again, trying to guide him to go lower. Jane gave him a strong nod, and with his left hand he reached for the lube and squirted some of it into his fingers. While his fingers were rubbing against each other, Jane moved his mouth closer to Dell's throbbing cock and first just breathed against it. 

"Lift your legs a little higher", Jane ordered and Dell took a better position, knowing what place Jane needed to reach with his fingers. When Dell was ready, he gave a nod to Jane who showed him a deep smirk. Jane stick out his tongue and ran it against Dell's dick, moving it teasingly up and down. Dell's hips jerked from that and he placed his right hand under his knee and lifted the leg up into the air.

"Please, don't tease me", the man begged. Jane only chuckled at him. "No need to rush, Dell. We've got time", he promised and gave a kiss on the top of his head. Dell shuddered and moved his left hand over his mouth, biting down onto one of his knuckles. Acting like a real tease, Jane only licked his pulsating cock, sometimes pressing his tongue stronger against his member, sometimes only moving it gently along it. When Jane was sure  Dell was ready, he moved his fingers near Dell's entrance and took the head of his cock inside his mouth.

Dell let out a low moan and grabbed his own hair as his back arched strongly against the sky. As Jane sucked on the head, he moved his index finger in circles over his hole, before pressing it inside. Dell let out another moan and his lower body shook again as Jane buried the finger deeper inside of him. He then moved it out, then back in, almost painfully slow. Jane continued moving his finger inside and out, while his mouth focused on sucking the tip of his cock. Jane took a deep breath with his nose and took Dell's cock a little deeper into his mouth, at the same time trying to circle his tongue around the sensitive meat. Dell was breathing heavily, letting out low moans every now and then as he tried to not burst out so quickly.

Jane moved another finger in and at the same time swallowed more of Dell, trying to add more saliva as his throat felt dry. Dell was already going crazy - he had a hard time holding back his moans and his legs were trembling. Jane loved watching him like this and he had a hard time himself to stay calm. He didn't want to rush and ruin their first time together. When he added the third finger, Dell was silently muttering out words that begged for more, but Jane didn't comply. He kept teasing the man, expect this time he allowed himself to be a bit more rough. Jane started fingering the man faster, opening him up and thrusting into him while his mouth moved up and down on Dell's cock. Jane could taste the man's precum on his tongue, the taste of it thick and kind of salty.

"Oh god, Jane", the Texan moaned out and grabbed tightly onto Jane's hair. That gave more sparks to the man, as Jane started popping his head up and down, his tongue circling around his member hungrily. Jane let out a soft hum against his member and Dell's legs shook so hard that the truck made noises. "Jane, if you keep going, I'm g-gonna cum", Dell moaned out and hearing those words, Jane moved away from his cock and licked his lips. Jane looked down at his fingers, opening them as wide as possible inside Dell before he pulled them out and quickly wiped them against his pants.

 

Dell sat up and even if he was still seeing stars, he started ripping off Jane's shirt. The man chuckled and helped the other man undress him until his muscular toned up torso was free for Dell to watch. For so long Dell has wanted to touch Jane's well build body and finally he was able to live his dream. Conagher moved his hands around Jane's body, giving kisses to his every muscle and just feeling how amazing he felt. At the same time Jane was opening his belt buckle, and as he started pushing his own pants down Dell gave him space and got rid of his shirt that was still hanging open over his shoulders. They undressed themselves as quickly as possible so they soon could attack each other once again. Dell waited patiently as Jane kicked off his pants and while he was getting rid of his boots, Dell thought about their next move. He looked at their 'bed' and wondered what position would be the best to do. When Jane was ready, they kissed with passion, hands travelling around each other's bodies.

"Lay on your back", Dell said between the kisses and when they finally dared to break away from each other, Jane took a good position and laid on his back, putting both of the pillows under his head. Dell grabbed the lube, put some of it into his palm and tossed the bottle away. He wrapped his hand around Jane's cock and started stroking up and down and started kissing his chest and stomach, unable to stop admiring how hard his muscles were. "Fuck, Dell", Jane groaned out and now it was his turn to play with the other man's hair. Dell smiled and kissed Jane with hunger, his hand still stroking the other man strongly. Jane was the first one to add some tongue into the kiss and even if they both had not done it before, moving your tongue against someone else's felt weirdly good. Moaning into the kiss, Dell made sure that Jane's cock had enough lube over it before he focused more on pleasuring the man. He moved his thumb over the head for a moment, before he continued stroking him, this time much much slower. Jane wrapped his right arm around the man, pulling him closer, and his left hand moved over Dell's hand, making him stroke him faster. 

Dell broke away from the kiss and looked Jane directly into his eyes. "Do you want me?" he asked, teasing the man as his hand stopped stroking the man and moved over to his balls, fondling them. Jane let out a low groan, before muttering: "Yes, god, I want you Dell. I need you."

Hearing those words, Dell smiled and reached for the condoms and the lube again. He took one out, opened it and gently wrapped the condom over Jane's member. When it was seated just well, he took a bit more lube and spread it over his covered cock again, making sure it was as slippery as possible. Then, Conagher moved his hand completely away from the man and moved his leg over the man's body to the other side, seating himself on top of him. Jane placed his hands on Dell's hips gently as the Texan positioned himself, guiding Jane's member to his entrance with his hand. Dell gave one quick look at Jane, a trusting look in both of their eyes before Dell started moving down onto his cock. It wasn't Dell's first time having something inside his ass, but even with the lube it felt tight and it ached. Dell groaned and Jane was rubbing his sides as to give comfort. He stayed still as Dell lowered himself slowly, breathing heavily as Jane buried himself deeper into him. Finally, their legs met each other and Dell relaxed on top of him, almost not believing how tight he felt in his bottom. Jane swallowed heavily and kept comforting the florist, making sure he was not in pain. 

Soon, Dell gave the man a strong nod and he took a better position before he started lifting himself up and down, grinding his hips as he tried to find the best way to move on top of Jane. Dell moved slowly, Jane's cock moving in and out as they both breathed heavily. Dell placed his left hand over Jane's chest to avoid falling down as he continued working on top of him, letting out soft moans every time Jane entered him. 

"This is ... harder than I thought it would be", Dell chuckled and started moving his hips faster, lifting himself up and down again and again. "You're doing good, baby", Jane grunted out and moved his hands over Dell's ass, grabbing onto the soft meat. Dell let out a moan, then chuckled a bit more. "P-pet names already, huh?" he breathed out heavily and slammed his hips down much harder, making the man under him let out a low moan. 

"Yes, pet names", Jane breathed out. "B-because things are about to get dirty."

As he said those words, Jane wrapped his other arm around Dell's waist and pulled him down with a strong move. He then lifted his hips higher so his cock didn't slip out and without a warning, Jane started moving his hips up and down. His hand still playfully grabbed Dell's ass and the man moaned pressing his head against the man's shoulder. "F-fuck", Dell moaned and placed his hands against the floor to keep himself from falling completely. He bit down onto his lower lip as Jane kept thrusting into him hard but slow, making the man go insane. The truck was already creaking under their weight and movements and somehow the mechanical sound only turned Dell on even more.

Jane moved on the same pace for long minutes that felt like hours and every time Dell tried to go move his own hips up and down faster, Jane grabbed his ass with both hands and kept him still. It was clear that Jane wanted Dell to beg for it and the thought of it made his cock twitch hard against his stomach.

"Jane, please", the florist begged, giving a kiss to the man's shoulder. "What?" Jane asked, giving a kiss back on Dell's neck. He moved his hand up and down on Dell's back a few times, before pressing his nails gently against his backside and dragging them down, leaving rows of red glowing lines there. Dell shook under his touch, pressing himself harder against the man as he grit his teeth.

"Please, Jane, fuck me", the man pleaded and wrapped both of his hands around Jane. "Please", he said again just to make sure and once again started moving his hips up and down. Jane smirked and gave a long lick against Dell's neck. "Good boy", he whispered teasingly, before biting down onto the sensitive flesh. Dell moaned and buried his fingers into Jane's skin and before he was ready for it, Jane started thrusting his hips up and down so fast that Dell started seeing stars. His legs started immediately shaking lightly, his stomach tightening the knot inside it and his breathing getting so heavy that Dell was sure he was soon unable to breathe. He cursed loudly and buried his teeth against Jane's shoulder as he took what was given to him.

Jane's hips never touched the floor under them as he lifted his lower body up into the air and thrusted inside the man again and again, the speed so fast that Dell was sure he was going to come in seconds. Jane wrapped his hands strongly around the love of his life and started pounding onto him even harder. Dell moaned louder, cursing and shouting out Jane's name multiple times, before Jane grabbed him by his hair and pulled their lips together messily. Jane wrapped his lips around his and Dell could only moan against the kiss as the sweet spot inside him was hit with every thrust. Soon Jane broke the kiss and pushed Dell away, making the man sit right on top of his cock.

"I want to watch you as you come for me", Jane moaned out and moved his left hand over Dell's stomach and legs, where ever it could reach, as his right hand was holding onto his waist, holding the man in place. Dell moaned harder and looked down at Jane. He didn't believe Jane would be this much of a porn star during sex, but the surprise was a pleasant one. Just what Dell needed right now.

"God, Jane", he moaned out as Jane started pounding into him even faster, so fast that it was unbelievable that Jane was able to keep up the pace. Dell couldn't hold back anymore and he wrapped his left hand over his throbbing cock and started stroking it fast, making him move closer to the edge. "Cum for me, Dell", Jane groaned out and hit his head back into the pillows, closing his eyes as his hips kept moving up and down in almost inhumane speed. Dell started circling his thumb over the head of his cock and in seconds he started seeing fireworks. 

"Jane, I'm cumming-", was the only thing he could say before his dick was almost exploding in his hand. Dell's hips started shaking uncontrollably, jerking up and down and his legs banging against Jane's sides. His cum flew over Jane's stomach and chest and moans filled the silent night forest, waking up everyone who might have been sleeping nearby. Jane wrapped his arms strongly against Dell again and pulled him down as he continued thrusting into the man. Dell was seeing stars, his mind was literally going dark as his sensitive spot was hit over and over again. He didn't know his orgasm could go this long. Part of him wasn't even sure if he was cumming anymore. Either way, Dell felt extremely sensitive everywhere, his body shook wildly and nothing had ever felt that good.

"J-Jane, I can't- Fuck!" the man moaned out, scratching the man as a sign to beg him to stop. "I'm so close, honey, so close", Jane moaned against Dell's neck and kept bounding so fast that he had no time to catch his breath. Their skin slapping against each other loudly, Dell's body almost going numb, Jane was quickly reaching his end.

"I - I love you", Dell Conagher moaned out and right after those words, Jane was cumming, his hips jerking up and down until he finally had to slip out of. Jane crashed against the blankets, breathing heavily and Dell relaxed on top of him. They both breathed slowly, catching their breath before they would do anything else. Dell rolled over to Jane's side, trying to ignore how wet he felt inside his ass and his stomach as he curled up into a ball next to Jane. After a moment of just heavy breathing, Dell let out a tired laughter.

"I forgot about the towels", he commented and looked down at their bodies, both messy from their own bodily liquids. Jane chuckled. "We can just use the blankets under us", he breathed out heavily and looked down at his cock. He removed the condom, wrapped it up in a knot and placed it on his side, ignoring it was there. He then turned to look at Dell and moved his hand under his head again, pulling him closer. Both of them looked up at the sky, which had turned dark and the stars were now much brighter.

"I forgot to bring you roses", Jane said. Dell chuckled at it. "Why roses?" he asked.

"Because the first time we met, you told me they symbolize love. I first planned to buy you a rose and just give it to you. But then I remembered you're the only florist in town", Jane told the man, his words coming out slowly but clearly. Dell chuckled.

"Did you know that roses are always blushing, because the bees are giving them kisses? Roses are the sweetest kind of flower bees like to kiss", Dell commented. Jane said something like that on the first day they had met. Jane remembered that story and pulled Dell closer with a happy hum.

"Well, I guess I am your rose and you are my bee!" he said happily and kissed Dell's forehead. They both laughed.

 

Dell looked up at Jane, the man who was so mysterious in so many ways. He was slow, childish and maybe a little bit of an idiot, but he still knew how to say the right things at the right moments. He was gentle and rough, mean and kind, brave and scared. He acted like a tough guy, but still had a sensitive side only Dell was allowed to see. Everything about him just made the florist smile brighter than the sun. 

 

_Jane Doe. What an interesting fella._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Damn it feels good I got this done. I'm sorry if it seems a bit rushed at the end, because it is. I wrote it in one night and didn't read it through. Lmao let's hope it's making yall wet ... I mean let's hope it's good enough.  
> Now, I wanna start writing my own story that I've been planning for quite a while. Don't worry, I won't stop writing fanfictions, but maybe from now on I won't write stories with this much plot in it. Like, I will maybe just write some one shots or random small scenes. Something that is just one chapter long. Just maybe. We will see.  
> Thank you all for the support for this story, it means so much !


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